A Dream's Requiem
by Famfrit
Summary: (Once Amour et Haine) Time has passed peacefully since the defeat of Vegnagun, and Spira has finally found peace. But with the findings of a nightmarish sphere, things might be threatening the Eternal Calm Yuna has fought so hard to gain.
1. The Wedding

Hey! It's me, Famfrit, author of Carrot's Homecoming. This is my first attempt at FFX-2 fan fiction, and also my first attempt at anything remotely romantic. Anyways, this takes place after the end of FFX-2 and will deal with fighting, however this chapter will include no fighting as you will soon find out what is happening. I do not own Square Enix, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2. Please enjoy, and please give me feedback!

**====*====**

"Do I look nervous?" Nooj asked, wavering uneasily in his formal suit. It was a custom for the men of Spira to wear white robes on such an occasion, and Nooj was no exception except that the robes were much shorter than the customary ones, embroidered with blue silk in a crisscrossing design. Baralai let out a laugh, but Gippal hit him on the shoulder before he could continue.

"To make things short, Nooj, you look like a nervous wreck," Gippal said, causing Baralai to laugh louder. The two friends, the leaders of New Yevon and the Machine Faction, began to chuckle to themselves. Nooj didn't look like he appreciated it.

"How do I look, then?" he asked shakily. Baralai stopped laughing, straightened himself up, and looked at Nooj straight in the eyes.

"You look fine, Nooj," he said. Gippal nodded.

"I'd have to agree," Gippal said. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. And believe me, this is what you want to do with your life, Nooj. Not only is it something you want, and something that the people will respect you for and follow your example, but it's something that _she_ wants, too."

**====*====**

"How do I look?" Leblanc asked, looking herself over. Her elegant white gown was embroidered with diamonds, and her ornate fan was painted with designs of butterflies and flowers embroidered in sapphires, crystals, and diamonds. Her hair had been bleached white for the occasion, and a crystal circlet was atop her head which was studded with diamonds.

"You look great, Leblanc," Yuna said. Indeed the wealthy mistress of the Leblanc Syndicate did look quite beautiful in all of her formalwear. Leblanc had invited YRP and all the Gullwings to the occasion, along with a rather confused Tidus and the rest of Yuna's guardians, including Vidina. Yuna wore her summoner's robes, except they had been readjusted to silk.

"You do look great, Leblanc!" Rikku chimed in, looking quite uncomfortable in a white gown that was much too large for her. She was almost constantly tripping upon it and falling on her face, and her hands were all ready skinned. Just then, the Celsius roared overhead and Brother and Buddy slid out on metal cables. Rikku rolled her eyes. "Show-offs," she muttered.

"You look fine," murmured Paine, who looked the most forlorn of all. She was not wearing her dark warrior's attire: she was wearing a white silk gown, which she detested very much. She didn't like its flashiness, or its length. She wanted to be wearing something – anything – besides this gown.

"I feel really nervous," Leblanc admitted, eyes falling upon the carpet along the luxurious highroad in Bevelle. "What was it like when you were doing this, Yuna?"

Yuna remembered the horrible memories of her: with Seymour. How she loathed that morbid man, that man who only lusted the end of Spira and her. She had given him her respect, and he took advantage of her and nearly ended all of her guardians' lives. But in the end, she had Sent Seymour to the Farplane, and that had been the end of him.

"It was a lot different," Yuna explained. "For one, there were all those Warrior Monks. And two, I didn't like Seymour at all. He was forcing me against my will."

"Oh," Leblanc said with a nervous smirk, not really paying attention. Her eyes were cast now at the clouds, and she wondered whether this was the right choice. Yes, they did love each other, but to pledge an eternity for each other? She didn't quite know. But she was determined to do it, anyways. She loved him, and he loved her.

"Here it is, boss," Ormi said as he ran up to Leblanc, wearing silver and white attire adjusted to fit his large size. His familiar shield had been taken off his back, but a large Leblanc Syndicate symbol – a heart with two dots cut out from the two tops – was plastered on the center of his chest.

"Yes, we finally got it. It took them long enough," Logos piped in, and he handed Leblanc the bouquet of white and silver roses. "I do have to say those flowers do look a tad odd."

"Well I didn't ask your opinion, did I?" Leblanc snapped. Logos nodded, and with Ormi the two sped off. Leblanc laughed.

"I'm really going to do this," she said with a smile as her eyes fell upon her husband-to-be.

**====*====**

Meanwhile, Yuna ran back to Tidus who was standing off to the side of everyone else, gazing straight ahead at the end of the highroad. He remembered this place all too well. He remembered the angry hatred he felt towards an undead Seymour and the terror in his heart when Yuna leapt from the edge. He remembered the excitement of sliding down the metal cables off Cid's airship and the fear he felt while facing the Warrior Monks to reach Yuna.

"Are you okay?" Yuna asked, touching his shoulder. He liked the feel of her hand upon any part of his body, as somehow he felt soothed by her touch. He smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine, Yuna," Tidus replied, gazing back out and down into the machina city below. "Boy, this place has changed since I last was here."

"Yes, it has," Yuna said with a laugh and joining his side. "With the whole deal between New Yevon and the Youth League, I thought this place would never be so united."

"No, I meant like all of this machina. If this was happening back when I was your guardian, half of the machina would be gone. And that half would be the machina that actually has major use," Tidus said. At that moment Yuna crept closer to him, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"You still are my guardian," she said softly. Tidus smiled, and the refreshing breeze blew softly into his face.

**====*====**

A teary-eyed Ormi and a sobbing Logos escorted a nervous Leblanc up the center aisle as she skittishly attempted to shut them up. The sun was bright, and the breeze was cool. Leblanc gazed straight ahead at Nooj, and suddenly she felt a sense of tranquility.

Baralai stood at the tops of the steps, reading the lines of marital vows out of a large tome. It was all gibberish to Leblanc and Nooj, as they were holding each other's hands and gazing into each other's eyes. Ormi and Logos were sobbing into their handkerchiefs by now, each one specially sewn with the Leblanc Syndicate symbol.

Finally it came time for the rings. Baralai began to speak the vows, but Leblanc couldn't hear him at all. Her eyes were deep into Nooj's mind, and she was blissful to an extent she had never ventured before.  

Finally, after Baralai asked the question, Nooj nodded and slipped a shimmering silver ring encrusted with diamonds onto Leblanc's finger. Her eyes were glistening, and she was truly beautiful. His thoughts drifted to what life would be like with her as Baralai began to recite her vows, and after what seemed like eternity she nodded with a smile and slipped a golden ring encrusted with diamonds onto his finger. It shone there like a star.

Yuna was smiling in Tidus's arms. Rikku was grinning, standing right next to Gippal. Paine, outcast from the others, was grinning to herself as she gazed at not the couple, but Baralai. Logos and Ormi were sobbing madly at this point, their handkerchiefs too soggy to use. Buddy and Brother were looking at the two, and Brother was smiling his goofy smile. Wakka and Lulu were smiling, and Vidina was sleeping soundly in Lulu's arms. Kimahri and Garik also stood in the stands, and Kimahri was a bit perplexed but otherwise happy for the two. Lord Tromell, Lord of the Guado, stood in the stands as well with a handful of noble Guado. The five musicians of Macalania played sweet, uplifting music on a floating platform to the right of the highroad's end.

"You may kiss the bride," Baralai said. Nooj and Leblanc's fingers intertwined as they kissed each other passionately and the stands clapped, including a still sobbing Ormi and Logos who was now pulling his act together. Yuna was probably clapping the loudest and hardest, a smile projected on her happy face. This was a good day.

**====*====**

The procession was very cheerful. As strange as it may seem, Lord Tromell and Garik were chatting peacefully. Gippal, Baralai, Paine, Yuna, and Rikku were all talking to the newlyweds, Tidus among them but not speaking. The cake was beautiful, and after the cake was finished off it was followed by various shows. Clasko gave a performance of rapidly dashing Chocobos adorned with iron helmets, which was quite spectacular. As Tobli and the five Macalanian musicians headed onstage to perform an elegant symphony, Yuna got ready and spherechanged into the Songstress Dressphere. Immediately visions of Lenne filled her mind, but she remembered how peacefully the summoner and songstress's story had ended.

Tidus was tantalized by Yuna's new attire. Was it _truly_ Yuna, or was it some sort of goddess? He couldn't tell, but he knew that Yuna looked spectacular, if not strangely familiar. "You look great," Tidus said sheepishly to Yuna, who smiled and hugged him.

"I'm really nervous," she confessed. "The last time I performed... Well, let's just say that I got really into the music. I even broke down crying, after I was done."

"You cried?" Tidus said, and was flooded with memories of being called "crybaby" and all the times he really had cried, even though he was reluctant to recollect them.

"Yes," Yuna said embarrassedly. Her face flushed pink, and Tidus grinned.

"It's time, Yuna," he said with a smile, and Yuna walked up to the area backstage to tune up her microphone. Just a few seconds later the Hypello who was announcing all the shows called her name, and she entered onto the stage and began to sing.

**(I would insert a song here, but the thing is I'm a really bad songwriter and lyricist. I'd end up writing a nonsensical line of words with no beat whatsoever, so just bear with me and invent a song.)**

Leblanc was so happy she was crying during Yuna's beautiful song, and she cheered madly when it was over. Nooj held his wife close by, and several times during the song did they kiss quite passionately. The lyrics matched every emotion and every feeling of everything they had experienced in the past couple of hours.

The song's end had a great effect on the entire audience, followed by a long applause. Yuna bowed again and again, her face flushing red with embarrassment. Finally she exited the stage, and Tidus wrapped her in a tight hug and the two kissed. "That was great," he said, and Yuna sighed. It was great having Tidus back.

"I'd like to make an announcement," Nooj declared in a loud voice. He was on the stage, Yuna's microphone in hand. Rikku, who had been chatting with Gippal, looked up with her former boyfriend. Paine, who was talking with Baralai, looked back at the stage, nudging the praetor to do so to.

"I thank you all for coming here on this fine day to celebrate me and Leblanc – my wife – finally getting wed." At this comment, Gippal let out a loud whoop, which even got Leblanc to smile. "It means a lot to both of us. When I first met Leblanc, back during the founding of the Youth League, I knew that she was someone special. I knew that she was going to be a vital part of my life. Back then, I was confused with my stance. I sought after death like a parasite. Now, I don't. After facing Vegnagun, I knew that death wasn't what I wanted. What I wanted was companionship, a companionship only Leblanc could give me. Now I'm not confused, in fact I'm entirely true to you know. I love this woman, and I will until I die."

Everyone cheered, and Leblanc was crying happily. She met her husband with a passionate kiss as he exited the stage. Nooj looked to the end of the highroad, where the shimmering airship for two awaited. He smiled brightly, his wife crying in his arms. "I love you, Leblanc," he said, and she kissed him again.

The newlyweds walked down the carpet, a tearful Logos and Ormi waving goodbye along with Yuna, Tidus, Gippal, Rikku, Paine, and Baralai, not to mention all the guests. Nooj lifted Leblanc off her feet, and holding her in his arms they got into the airship for two headed for a peaceful honeymoon on Besaid Island. Yuna smiled as the airship flew away.

"Let's go," she said softly to Tidus, who motioned to the others to follow. Paine waved goodbye to Baralai, and Gippal gave Rikku a soft kiss on the cheek as she left. Rikku blushed madly, a rare thing for the daughter of Cid to do. She was still blushing even when the four headed back up to the Celsius, gazing down at Gippal the entire time until he was too small to recognize amongst the others.

**====*====**

That speech was horrible! I wish I had a song to insert, but as I all ready said, I'd make a horrible song with absolutely no meaning whatsoever. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! I might write some more on this, but it all depends... 


	2. TYRP

By popular demand, I've decided to continue with this fan fiction. Expect more romance – or what is a feeble attempt to be romance – in the next few chapters, along with fighting. Expect a new romance, too, Shinra and Calli (How did that crazy mind of mine make this up?)! Also, I do not own Square Enix, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2, so you can't sue me! Anyways, feedback is appreciated and I hope you enjoy!

**====*====**

"That sure was a cheery reception," Yuna said as she walked into the cabin of the Celsius. Rikku was still madly blushing, and thus made no comment. Paine nodded glumly as she sat down at the bar.

"Paine, I thinksh that thish be too late for a drink," Barkeep said concernedly, looking at the darker member of the Gullwings.

"I don't care what you think," Paine murmured, head falling into two gloved hands. Barkeep sighed, and then looked at the liquor cabinet.

"Too much liquor ish not good, not good at all," Barkeep warned, waving his finger back and forth in front of Paine's face.

"Shut up, you stupid Hypello, or I'll chop off that blue finger of yours," Paine snarled. Barkeep immediately stopped his playful taunting and went to the cabinet to go make a drink.

The sky outside was dark and gloomy, with lightning streaking the sky. However, daring Buddy and Brother could care less, as they decided to go for an overnight ride. Shinra, refusing to tag along, ended up in the cabin as well, talking with Calli.

"Chocobos are so great!" Calli said, feeling rather stupid in front of Shinra. She always talked about Chocobos, mainly because they were her favorite subject and the only real thing she knew about. She watched in awe as Shinra affectionately rubbed the top feathers of the Chocobo on board, which was currently attempting to sleep. Calli giggled slightly.

"He sure seems sleepy," Shinra announced. Calli nodded. He needed to work on things to say to Calli, other than these bogus comments about their poultry pals. "How fast did you record his speed yesterday, back when we visited Clasko in the Calm Lands?"

"I think it was... 76 miles per hour, I'm pretty sure," Calli said, gazing up to the ceiling to think. She was acting so dumb in front of this genius! She was surprised that when she looked back he was still there. "Yes, that's what Clasko told me."

"Good. That's the healthy average for a moderate racing Chocobo. However, Lightwind, the fastest Chocobo in the Spira archives, went as fast as 110 miles per hour! Isn't that amazing?" Shinra said. Calli looked on in awe.

"Ooooh, Shinra has a crush," Rikku said as she walked past, causing Shinra to blush under his full-body suit. Calli's face flared red like a fireball.

"Look who's talking, little Miss Oh-Gippal-gave-me-a-kiss-and-so-I'm-going-to-blush-like-an-embarrassed-teenager!" Shinra shouted back, causing Rikku to blush madly.

"Stupid kid," she managed to mutter as she collapsed tiredly into her bed, making sure to pull on the blankets. She hated the cold, as she was used to the scorching desert sun like the rest of her Al Bhed kindred. Soon she was fast asleep, dreaming confusing dreams about Gippal who was magically transforming into Cid and yelling at her to get her act to together.

Yuna was quite tired, so she headed up to her bed in the cabin. Rikku was all ready fast asleep, and she didn't wish to wake her cousin. So she silently slipped into her bed in the middle of the three, and her eyes fluttered before closing as a few thoughts of Shuyin and Lenne faded from her mind. It was a normal side-effect of using a Dressphere.

As Yuna began to sleep, she didn't notice that Tidus was walking up the steps to find her. Rikku was all ready asleep like a baby, and Tidus had to keep from chuckling. On the next bed lay Yuna, who was fast asleep. With a sigh, Tidus slipped right next to her, not under the covers but above them. He was finally back with Yuna, no matter whether he was a dream of the fayth or not. That didn't matter to him at all anymore. Only Yuna mattered.

Paine was up quite late, even when Barkeep began to fall asleep standing up and waiting for her to get done. Shinra had fallen asleep on a pallet on the floor, and Calli had fallen asleep snuggled up with the Chocobo and a soft blanket. Mixed thoughts were running through the troubled teen's mind as she thought of the adventures she had with the Gullwings, from excavating her past to freeing Shuyin from an eternity of hatred and defeating the monstrous Vegnagun. She thought of Nooj, who was now never to be hers. She thought of Gippal, who was so obviously in love with Rikku. And finally, she thought of Baralai, the lone praetor who had always been one of her closest friends in the Crimson Squad. She thought about it all, even when Barkeep was escorted out of the bar by a nagging Darling.

Finally, when the bar lights went out and her glass was fully drained, Paine headed upstairs to go to bed. Rikku lay asleep in the first one, as sound asleep as a bear in winter. Next was Yuna, and the newcomer she had so fondly remembered. That was something she faintly knew about, a topic Yuna had rarely spoken of. Then she saw her own empty bed, slipped into it, and was immediately whisked away into dreams about digging into the depths of the Bevelle Labyrinth with, of all people, Baralai.

Finally, at about five o'clock in the morning, Brother and Buddy stopped flying the Celsius madly around Spira and rested peacefully in their cockpits, extremely exhausted from a day of flying. They had landed near the peak of Mt. Gagazet, and snow began to fall amidst the Gullwings' dreams.

**====*====**

"WE'RE FALLING!" shouted Rikku as she awoke with a scream. Out the window, she could see nothing but the sky and the ground below. No, they weren't falling. But she had given a wake-up call that could've woken up all of Spira. They were obviously perched precariously on some height Buddy and Brother had selected; those reckless goons. Rikku rolled her eyes as Paine leapt out of her bed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned. Rikku was no longer shouting.

"Oh, nothing," she said with a smile as she hopped out of her bed and leapt over the balcony to have some breakfast that Barkeep was all ready cooking. Calli and Shinra were all ready awake and talking eagerly with one another. As she passed by the two "kiddies", she snickered a bit. Shinra gave her a nasty glare, which would have connected if he hadn't been wearing his full-body suit.

Paine sighed, shrugged, and rolled her eyes. She too hopped off the balcony onto the floor below, sitting on a stool and waiting for a fresh breakfast of Chocobo egg omelets and fried Gagazet mushrooms. Calli refused to eat an omelet, as she was strictly a vegetarian when it came to Chocobo-based foods. Hoping to initiate a conversation, Shinra did the same which only made Rikku laugh harder, who was looking at the whole situation. Whenever she did, though, Shinra would make a crude – and cruel – imitation of her with Gippal which caused her to refrain from making fun of the two.

"That smells good, Mom," Tidus said in his sleep. Yuna crept up closer, wrapping her arms around the Blitzball player. The two oblivious lovers were still in deep sleep, all though the rest of the crew – including Buddy and Brother – were up.

"Wake up, Yunie!" Rikku shouted, shaking her cousin. She turned to Tidus. "And you too!"

"Is the game all ready over?" Tidus said as he awoke. Yuna laughed and hugged him. Rikku giggled, and then looked back to where Calli and Shinra were talking and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Yuna asked, and then looked over the balcony where Shinra and Calli were oblivious to everything else. She let out her same, playful laugh, and Tidus went to look what the whole commotion was about. He laughed too.

Shinra looked up at the upper-deck of the cabin, and the three immediately stopped giggling. Shinra had suspected that they were laughing at him and Calli, who was now blushing like mad again. Shinra grinned a bit. Did she like him, then?  
  


Suddenly, the weirdest thing happened. Calli leaned up close to his face, and attempted to kiss him on the lips if it hadn't been for his full-body suit. Shinra almost fell off his chair, but Calli said, "Take off your mask."

Shinra's heart was stricken with fear. "I... I... I can't," he explained, then hopped off the stool and ran down the hallway, into the elevator, then onto the deck to get to the spot he normally sat at researching. Calli looked away, and walked over to the Chocobo and attempted to soothe herself by rustling its head feathers.

Rikku didn't have the insensitivity to laugh, but she did giggle madly. Yuna cleared her throat and tapped Rikku on the shoulder, as Calli was glaring at her evilly. Rikku immediately stopped, and now was the time for Tidus to laugh. He laughed not about the whole ordeal with Shinra and Calli, but the way she had glared at Rikku. Rikku elbowed him in the stomach and he stopped.

"Kids," muttered Paine as Yuna, Rikku, and Tidus sat down at the bar. Barkeep smiled.

"We have for today'sh breakfasht Chocobo egg omeletsh and fried Gagazezet mushroomsh," he said, handing the newcomers for breakfast plates of steaming, delicious food. (NOTE: I didn't make a mistake with Gagazezet. It's how I figured a Hypello would say 'Gagazet'.)

Tidus ate it all like a pig, while Yuna merely pushed some back and forth and every once in a while she'd take a bite. Rikku ate just as normally as she always would, and Paine sighed at the sight of the newcomer.

"Well someone's hungry," she declared, looking straight at Tidus. He grinned with a mouthful of food. She looked back down at her own almost-finished plate, then took out a book about the history of the Crusaders and continued reading, mostly to get her mind away from the others who had so eagerly surrounded her.

Suddenly, the alarm went off. "Sphere alert!" shouted Buddy from the cockpit. YRP got up and ran down the hallway, then down the elevator, followed by a rather confused Tidus.

"What are you guys doing?" Tidus asked, and Yuna turned back to him.

"We're sphere hunters, remember?" Yuna said. "Together, Rikku, Paine, and I form YRP."

"YRP, eh?" Tidus said with a chuckle. "Where do I go, then?"

"You could help us, if you don't think your fighting skills are too shabby... And if you figure out how to use a Dressphere," she explained. "If you can fulfill those two things, I'll change the name to TYRP."

"Okay... Who will tell me about... Dresspheres?" Tidus asked confusedly. Yuna laughed.

"Talk to Shinra. He's that boy you saw earlier," Yuna said, still laughing about the ordeal with him and Calli. Tidus nodded.

"Okay then. I'll talk to him and he'll tell me about them?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Yuna. "He should be on the deck with everyone else. Now let's go!"

**====*====**

"Where's the sphere?" asked an excited Rikku. She hopped down the steps and landed near Buddy. "Where's the sphere?" she called out again.

"Hold your Chocobos, Rikku," Buddy said with a laugh. "Just wait until everyone gets here."

Paine walked slowly down the steps, stopping at Shinra's chair. Shinra was intent on looking at the research screen, but his thoughts were directed elsewhere. In fact, they were directed to a young girl in the cabin with a Chocobo.

Finally, Tidus and Yuna entered the room. Tidus immediately went to Shinra. "I heard about these Dresspheres," he explained. "I want to know how to use them, and what they'll do for me."

Shinra gazed up at him, in awe that someone was actually intent on learning about his works. "A Dressphere is a sphere that infuses its user into the abilities of the one drawn from the sphere," Shinra said. "For instance, a White Mage Dressphere infuses the user with the ability to cast White Magic, but they will also appear in a white robe with a staff just like normal White Mages."

"I see," Tidus said, half understanding, half entirely confused. "How many are there?"

"Well, there is the White Mage Dressphere, Black Mage Dressphere, Warrior Dressphere, Thief Dressphere, Gunner Dressphere, Gun Mage Dressphere, Shadow Knight Dressphere, Berserker Dressphere, Samurai Dressphere, Trainer Dressphere, Mascot Dressphere, Alchemist Dressphere... and of course, two Dresspheres that won't really fit your description."

"What are they?" Tidus asked.

"The Lady Luck Dressphere and the Songstress Dressphere. Unless you want to dress up like a girl and use girly abilities, I'm going to need to somehow adapt this to a male," Shinra explained. Rikku, whose attention was now directed on the lecture Shinra was giving, began to laugh.

"Okay, I think I get it," Tidus said. Shinra grinned under his mask, then turned back to continue researching.

"The sphere is from a place you'll never guess," Buddy explained when the four finally were intent on figuring out where the sphere was.

"Let me guess... Bikanel Desert? Or maybe the Djose Temple?" Rikku asked hopefully.

"Nope, neither," Buddy said, and Rikku groaned. "Do you guys give up?"

"Yes," Rikku said painfully. "Where is the sphere?"

"It's in the Baaj Temple," Buddy said. Brother nodded.

"Baaj Temple... It's where we first met, remember?" Rikku said to Tidus. He nodded.

"Yes, I remember perfectly, especially when you lodged your fist into my stomach," Tidus said rather cheerfully. Yuna laughed.

"I said 'Cunno'!" Rikku said angrily.

"What the heck does that mean?" Tidus asked.

"'Cunno' means 'Sorry' in Al Bhed!" Rikku shouted back. Tidus and Yuna both laughed.

"Well 'Cunno' for misunderstanding you, then," Tidus said. Rikku's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Baaj Temple, here we go!" Brother shouted. "YRP in position!"

"Make that TYRP," Yuna said. Paine, Rikku, and Brother all looked at the former summoner.

"TYRP?" Paine and Brother asked in unison. "What does that stand for?"

"It's us, plus him," Yuna explained. "He's offered to help us with sphere hunting."

"Ah," Paine said, understanding. Rikku nodded happily, too.

"Hurray!" she shouted, jumping up. Brother rolled his eyes.

"Baaj Temple, here we go!" he repeated. "TYRP in position!"

Tidus grinned. He could get use to this.   


	3. Saharyuu's Sphere

Hey! I'm now continuing the writing of Amour et Haine; and I want to thank you for all of your reviews (it truly means a lot to me!). I am really happy to finally be progressing with this story, and I hope you will enjoy. I do not own Square Enix, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2! Okay, please enjoy!

**====*====**

"Well, this is just disasterrific," Rikku said, pointing her magical pistol downwards and sitting down. She brushed a dried piece of seaweed that had somehow landed on the edge of her Gun Mage's robes with a hint of both disgust and glum. "You mean that we're stranded here?"

"Until Buddy and Brother can navigate through that thunderstorm, yes," Yuna said with a sigh. She made sure her White Mage's robes didn't get wet as she sat down, and she laid her staff across her lap and took off her hood. "It sure is humid."

Paine made no comment. She stood at the top of a high stone precipice that jutted dangerously from the water, her Trainer's robes fluttering in the wind as the breeze blew past. She looked to the darkening horizon to see Flurry, her loyal pheasant, flying back. She landed on Paine's arm with an ominous message that the airship was not in her sight.

"Flurry can't find the Celsius," Paine said, gazing down at the others. "I sent her out, and it wasn't in her line of sight which is a lot more than ours."

"That's not good," Rikku said. She sat back up, and then looked off in the direction Flurry had flown. "Are you sure she went in _all _directions?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Paine said with a sigh. "What do you think I'd do?"

Tidus popped up from under the water with a laugh. "Feels good to swim again," he said with a smile. Yuna laughed.

"What Dressphere did you end up using?" Rikku inquired, looking at Tidus. At least he wasn't wearing the Songstress or Lady Luck Dresspheres... That would be a little odd.

"Yeah, which one did you choose?" Yuna asked, turning to Tidus, both of her eyes shining just a brilliantly as the vanishing sun upon the water.

"I chose..." Tidus thought, looking up. "It was the... Gun Dressphere?"

"You mean the Gunner Dressphere?" Rikku corrected him with a playful smile. "Good choice. It served Yuna well, at least."

"Yeah, especially when she had to save your hide," Paine said. Rikku fired a glare at her.

"Be quiet, Paine. She saved your hide too!" Rikku called back. Paine merely shook her head.

"I would've been fine without you. It was only made harder because I had to keep you from getting hurt," Paine said, eyes narrowing. Rikku quieted.

Tidus got out of the water, wearing his normal yellow shirt. However, he didn't wear his normal pair of black overalls but instead a pair of black pants with two black shoes. He held his gun in its dark holster that was outlined in yellow. With a laugh he said, "This whole Dressphere thing is kinda confusing."

Yuna laughed. "You look... interesting," she said. Tidus grinned, and sat down next to Yuna, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She smiled. Rikku smiled. Paine growled.

"We haven't found that sphere!" she said angrily. "Come on, you slackers."

"I am not a slacker!" Rikku said defiantly, and before she could stop herself she jumped into the water. Yuna grinned and followed, not nearly as fast due to the sluggishness of her robes. Tidus jumped in after her, and she latched onto his back and together they swam to the actual base of the Baaj Temple. Paine jumped from rock to rock, making sure that she had correct footing before proceeding.

Before they knew it, TYRP had reached shore. Tidus knew it all too well. He drew his pistol, ready to fire if any fiends approached. Yuna walked between him and Rikku, who also had her gun ready. Finally, Paine walked with Flurry, who was ready to unleash an aerial assault if needed.

"What was that?" Rikku exclaimed, pointing her gun at a rock. Again, she heard a squeaking noise. "Aaaah!" she shouted, and then began to rapidly fire a barrage of sizzling shots at the rock. Nothing happened.

"Rikku! Flurry was the one making those squeaky noises," Yuna said to her high-strung cousin. Rikku nodded, and then continued walking, however the squeaky noises continued.

"Stop it, Flurry!" Rikku protested, turning back to the bird. However, Flurry was not on Paine's shoulder. Flurry was currently scanning the water for fish off on a ledge elsewhere. Rikku knew the squeaky noise was too close for Flurry to have done it.

"Fiends!" Rikku shouted, and then tripped over her own robes. Flurry immediately flew back to Paine's arm, and Paine sighed as Rikku picked herself up. Sure enough, a band of Sahagins had decided to give the party a "little" ambush.

The enemy party consisted of three normal Sahagins and one rather large Sahagin with a different hue. One Sahagin threw itself at Rikku, claws ready to dig in. However, she fired a shot at it before it could connect and it landed squirming on the ground before exploding in a cloud of pyreflies.

The others, fearing their own end, retreated back to where the oddly colored one stood, ready to attack. Paine merely smiled as Flurry shot into the air like an arrow and landed down on one of the frightened Sahagins, its scaly flesh collapsing under her sharp beak. It too collapsed in a cloud of pyreflies.

Tidus picked up his pistol and fired a shot that landed in the final normal Sahagin's heart, and Tidus whooped as the Sahagin evanesced into a swarm of pyreflies that faded into the air. "That was good!" Tidus shouted. Yuna grinned, but Paine rolled her eyes.

The oddly-pigmented Sahagin then launched its move, shooting at Tidus in vengeance over his fallen comrade. At that moment Yuna prayed, and Rikku shot the creature with her gun, causing it to stagger followed by a finishing attack by both Tidus and Paine. The Sahagin exploded into another cloud of pyreflies which faded into the air.

"TYRP wins again!" Rikku said, trembling on the 'T' in 'TYRP'. She still wasn't used to using the phrase TYRP, all though she was happy that Tidus was now in the group. She grinned a bit to herself. Yuna laughed as did Tidus, and Paine just shook her head, similar to how Lulu would do it if she had still been there.

"If Shinra's calculations are correct, the sphere should be down there," Paine said, pointing at the surface of a large, undisturbed pool of water. Tidus recognized it as the place he had fought that monstrous water fiend, Geosgaeno, during his first "visit" to Spira.

"Don't worry, they always are," Rikku said with a laugh. Paine rolled her eyes again.

"We have struck a predicament, however," Paine said. "Yuna and I aren't going to be able to get down their in our... current attire."

"I'm changing Dresspheres too, then," Rikku said. "These robes aren't easy to swim in, either."

"What about me? Am I okay?" Tidus said. Yuna nodded and smiled.

"What Dressphere should I change into, then?" Yuna asked.

Rikku thought for a moment, and then said, "How about you change into Gunner? I'll change into a Thief, and Paine..."

"I'm not changing into a Gunner or a Thief," Paine said obstinately. "The Gunner makes me look stupid, and the Thief makes me look fat." At this comment Rikku couldn't help but laugh, and Yuna giggled a bit. Tidus chuckled to himself and wrapped his arm around Yuna's shoulders. Yuna smiled.

In a flash of white feathers and runic symbols, Rikku appeared again as a Thief and Yuna appeared as a Gunner. The two – make that three – stared on at Paine, who seemingly refused to budge.

"I'll become a Berserker, then," she said gloomily, and in a flash of rock and steel she appeared again, clad in animal skins. "Let's go."

Rikku nimbly flipped into the water, followed by Tidus and Yuna who jumped in at the same time laughing. Paine, still rolling her eyes, dove in after that. TYRP regrouped at the surface of the water.

"The sphere is supposed to be somewhere down, under the water," Paine explained, then effortlessly dove into the water and swam madly towards a statue, looking around it. Yuna and the others nodded, following her example.

While Yuna swam, she discovered a round hole that seemed to go on forever. She was tantalized by it, but alas she found no sphere around it. She didn't dare venture too far into it, as she was afraid something could be in it, waiting for something to eat... Like her.

Several minutes later, Rikku swam back to the surface, followed by an exasperated Paine. "I couldn't find it," Paine growled. "I feel something else about it, too... I think something's guarding it."

A laughing Yuna erupted from the water, followed by a laughing Tidus. Tidus splashed Yuna with water and Yuna laughed and splashed him back. Paine rolled her eyes as Rikku joined in the fun. Soon, water was flying everywhere and splashing everyone, including an exasperated Paine.

"Stop it!" teased Yuna with a smile as she attempted to tackle Tidus. Tidus smiled and gripped her in a tight hug, which was only broken by Rikku who splashed Tidus in the face with a clear, cold blast of water.

"Gotcha!" she shouted with a smile, and then dove underwater to dodge Tidus who was charging at her while Yuna laughed.

"Stop it!" Paine shouted, and everything stopped. Tidus and Rikku arose to the surface, and Yuna stopped laughing. "We came here to hunt spheres, not play water polo!"

Rikku just grinned her devious grin and looked Paine straight in the eye. "I think someone's a little grumpy," she said with a smile, and then splashed Paine right in the neck with a sharp slap of cold water. Paine turned around and splashed Rikku right back.

"Water fight!" Yuna shouted and the battle initiated. Tidus splashed Rikku, and Rikku splashed Paine. Paine splashed Yuna who began splashing everyone. Water flew everywhere, coating everyone in a fresh layer of cold water. Even Paine couldn't keep from smiling.

However, this "water fight" created quite a disturbance upon the water's surface, and soon enough a monster awoke from the depths. TYRP stopped fighting to feel the water begin to shake, as if an earthquake was coming.

"Find a sphere and the fiends appear," was all Paine had to say before the enormous water dragon rose out of the hole, a maelstrom of water coming with it. Tidus grabbed Yuna and leapt out of the water back onto the stone platform, heaving and panting for air. Rikku jumped onto a rock and narrowly missed being sucked into the swirling waters, then climbed onto the platform. Paine mightily jumped from in the water onto her feet on the platform before collapsing. She then got back up.

"What in the..." Yuna said. The dragon was obviously some sort of burrowing water wyrm, and it was covered in cerulean scales lightly tinged with muddy brown. Three horns shot out from its head and two small claws protruded from its snakelike body.

"This reminds me of that Ever thing back on the airship," Tidus said, getting up. He pulled out his pistol, ready to fire.

"You mean Evrae?" Paine said with a bored tone. Tidus looked at her, and then nodded. In a flash of white feathers, Yuna returned yet again into a White Mage. Rikku transformed into a Gun Mage in a whirl of runes and strange glyphs. Paine and Tidus stayed just as they were.

The dragon roared, and at that moment the dark skies unleashed their rainy fury. Rain pelted down from a thundering sky of lightning and water. The dragon soaked it all in, then gazed hatefully down at the four who had disturbed its nest.

"I think it's pissed off!" Tidus shouted. Rikku agreed with a frightened look upon her face.

"The sphere radar is going crazy!" Rikku shouted, who had taken it from Paine during the water fight. "I think the dragon is either holding the sphere, or it's hidden somewhere nearby!"

"We have no choice. We fight!" Paine shouted, and lightning struck a nearby rock. "Rikku, Scan it!"

Rikku nodded, and then brought her hands in front of her face. In a few seconds she brought her arms back to her sides in one quick motion, and immediately she began to Scan the creature.

"Its name is Saharyuu... There's some background about how it is the King of Sahagins or something, and it is a water-based fiend!" Rikku shouted amidst the roar of the storm. Yuna, Paine, and Tidus nodded.

At that instant, the Saharyuu began to sparkle and unleashed a barrage of Waterga attacks. Tidus grabbed Yuna as they were enveloped in a huge sphere of rushing water. Rikku jumped, only soaking her feet. Paine took the full force of the aquatic blast.

"Someone's getting hurt," she breathed as she somersaulted and jumped up, digging her claws into the Saharyuu's chest. The Sahagin King roared, then dove down from its height and slashed her, countering her move. Paine easily dodged the counter.

Yuna closed her eyes as she felt herself caught in a glistening sphere, instantly restoring her and the party's energy. Curaga had always been one of her favorite spells to target the party with. She triumphantly rose her staff up and pulled it back down in a slashing motion, however she didn't attack. White Mages were too frail to deal much damage, anyways.

Rikku yelled as she was enveloped in a ring of fire and instantly transformed into a Black Mage. "I hope you like to get shocked!" she taunted before sticking out her tongue at the roaring creature. "Thundaga!" she bellowed, raising her rod into the air. A barrage of white-hot volts poured down from a hole in the stormy clouds, shocking the Saharyuu. The creature groaned in the pain, dove down and slashed Rikku who was hit with the full force of the blow.

The Saharyuu's body was enveloped in sparkles as it charged up for another spell. However, this was not Waterga. The waters around its base began to churn and surge back and forth, as if a forceful gale was pushing the surface. The waters began to roar up in a titanic tsunami which then rose up, ending up near the Saharyuu's own height. The tsunami rolled forward, crashing upon TYRP with a cataclysmic boom. Paine was knocked off her feet and sent plummeting into the water behind the platform, struggling for breath. Tidus grasped onto Yuna's hand, but the force of the attack separated the two and Yuna was sent surging towards Saharyuu while Tidus shot backwards, landing headfirst into the water. Rikku jumped up, but her feet were caught and she fell backwards, keeping herself on the platform.

Yuna struggled for air and struggled to catch on to something. The last thing she wanted was to be on the side with the fiend. She grappled a piece of rock that jutted from the platform's edge, and when the rushing water finally subsided she found herself staring down at the water. She scrambled back up and quickly regrouped with Rikku, but stared into the water. Where was he? And where was Paine?

Paine leapt for breath, gasping and heaving for air. She erupted upon the surface at least half a minute after the tsunami struck, then quickly looked around. "Look for him, Paine, and hurry!" Yuna shouted.

"We'll hold the Saharyuu off while you look! Now go!" Rikku shouted, and with Yuna the two Magi looked back at the Saharyuu, who looked entirely energized.

"Oh crap," Rikku said. "Feel the thunder! Thundaga!" she shouted, and a barrage of white-hot volts once again fell upon the Saharyuu and the King of Sahagins shook violently with the shocks. He dove down and thwacked her across the chest with his claws, sending her to her feet.

"Please be safe! Curaga!" Yuna cried, and a sphere of glistening energy enveloped Rikku, lifting her to her feet and restoring her lost energy. Yuna nodded, and then looked back behind the platform.

Paine struck a loose Sahagin who decided that it was the perfect opportunity to attack. She fended them off until she found Tidus, who lay unconscious upon a rock near the bottom of the water. She picked him up, immediately awakening him. He swam with her to the surface and together they began to climb up the side of the platform.

Saharyuu unleashed another round of Waterga attacks, weaving powerful spheres of rushing water onto not only Rikku and Yuna but also Paine and Tidus. Tidus hopped back on the platform, thanking Paine before returning to his place. Paine somersaulted to hers just as the Saharyuu's form began to sparkle.

"He's charging up again!" Yuna shouted and once again healed the party with the sparkling spheres of Curaga. Rikku grinned widely as she shocked the creature again with Thundaga, in conjunction to a hasty blast from Tidus's gun. Paine then somersaulted, lunged, and dug her claws once again into the Saharyuu's flesh.

The Saharyuu roared and began to form the tsunami again with the waters surrounding him. However, TYRP would not let this happen so easily. Yuna healed the party once again as Tidus fired an angry blast from the pistol. Rikku loosed another Thundaga spell as Paine rolled and clawed the Saharyuu's flesh repeatedly. Suddenly, the King of Sahagins let loose a ferocious roar as it exploded into a long pillar of pyreflies, which dispersed and headed for the Farplane. A sphere twinkled in the light of the dying storm as it plunged into the water, and to everyone's dismay began to descend in the dark hole.


	4. Sphere Hunt!

Hey! I hope you enjoy this new chapter to Amour et Haine! In this chapter, TYRP must figure out how to get down into the hole and reclaim the sphere that Saharyuu left after his defeat, and must battle another creature… Anyways, I do not own Square Enix or Final Fantasy X-2, so don't sue! I hope you enjoy and please send feedback!

**====*====**

"Well this sucks," Paine declared as TYRP circled around the gaping abyss, which lay just as unforgiving as ever under the water. "The Saharyuu's sphere just so happened to fall into that hole."

Rikku glanced fearfully down under the water. The crevasse looked very uninviting, and she shuddered at the thought of swimming down into its inky darkness until she could no longer see the light... She shivered. What if they got trapped down there, even worse, what if they got trapped down there with some terrible fiend?

"I'm not going," Rikku, who was now a Thief, said shaking her head defiantly. "And nothing you can say or do will make me."

"Are you sure?" Paine said, eyes narrowing. Rikku shook her head, beaded braids swinging wildly in the air as she did so.

"What if I tell Gippal how you feel about him?" Paine said with a smirk. Yuna and Tidus laughed. Rikku gasped as her face flushed red with both embarrassment and anger.

"What are you talking about?" Rikku asked, but everyone was smiling, laughing, or both. "I don't have any feelings for that slacker!"

"Well then, Rikku, I could always make up something," Paine said with a smirk. Rikku's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't... Would you?" Rikku asked edgily, and then glanced back down at the gaping pit. What mattered to her more, her feelings or her fears? She sighed. "Oh... Fine then. I'll go."

"Good," Yuna, who was now a Gunner again, said with a laugh. "TYRP is back and kicking."

"Oh poopie," Rikku said, glaring back at the hole. "Boy, I'm going to get back at you, Paine."

"One question," Tidus asked. "How are we going to breathe?"

"Shinra created the AirBubbles just for the job," Rikku said with a smile. "You just slip them on your neck and stick the large sphere in your mouth. Shinra says it holds more air than five tanks, so I think we're in good hands."

Rikku tossed one to Tidus, who slipped the small metal ring around his neck and stuck the large blue sphere in his mouth. It had a surprisingly good taste, however it felt very uncomfortable. "Let's go," he said with the sphere in his mouth, which made Yuna laugh.

Yuna made sure hers was on, and slipped it into her mouth with a click. Rikku shoved hers in, but not without whining about how uncomfortable it was. And finally Paine slipped hers into her mouth, not moving or complaining.

"How will we see down there?" Tidus asked. Rikku turned to him.

"Check your pockets," she said. He felt something in his pant pocket that he hadn't felt before. It was a small metal flashlight. Paine and Rikku pulled theirs out, but to Yuna's dismay she couldn't find hers.

"That's odd," Rikku said, her eyebrows furrowed. "Shinra told me that he made sure all the Dresspheres were equipped with flashlights."

"It's okay, Yuna. You can use mine," Tidus said. Yuna smiled, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and their fingers intertwined. "Don't let go of my hand," he warned with a smile. Yuna would make sure that she didn't.

In one swift motion, all the members of TYRP had gone under the water and were headed towards the gaping hole which seemed like the entrance to Hell itself.

**====*====**

"We got transmission," Shinra said, and Brother ran up to him behind his chair.

"We did? Yuna is okay, then?" he asked excitedly. Shinra let out a sigh from beneath his mask.

"I was going to finish, Brother," Shinra said. "We got transmission, but then it instantly disconnected."

"What?" Brother asked, annoyed. "They disconnected us? How could that be?"

"Well, there is one of two things. The first is that the machine malfunctioned, and the other is that a certain condition has kicked in and thus severed the connection," Shinra explained. Brother stood like a perplexed goon.

"What?" he asked stupidly. Buddy just laughed as Shinra turned on the dim-witted Al Bhed captain with a sigh.

"It means they went into water, smart one," Shinra said, tapping on a few buttons with his mechanically-adept fingers.

"Oh. Why did they do that?" Brother asked. Shinra, fed up with the stupid questions, stood up in his chair and turned around to face the captain.

"I dunno. I'm just a kid."

**====*====**

"Wow…" Yuna said all though no one heard it due to the water and the AirBubbles. But she could tell everyone was feeling her exact same emotion: amazement.

Crystal pinnacles shone in the light of the flashlights in the dark chamber at the end of the dark and unforgiving gorge. Rikku pointed her flashlight downwards, and to her fear she saw nothing but pale beige sand. Then her flashlight turned upon something else, which sparkled when the light was cast upon it. It was the sphere!

"There it is!" Rikku said, however no one heard her to her own dismay. She madly waved her flashlight, however, and everyone looked and saw the glistening sphere. However, to her own terror, she looked down at the flashlight. It began to dim, and suddenly it went out completely. Scared, she began to panic and dropped the flashlight.

An annoyed Paine grabbed Rikku by the arm, and she was now shivering madly and complaining about how she wanted to get out of this horrible place. No one could hear her whining, but they could hear her wild thrashing. Paine growled and gripped tighter, and the thrashing Al Bhed finally calmed down to a slowing extent. Paine rolled her eyes, all though no one could see it.

Tidus and Yuna were off looking for the sphere and simultaneously gaining some "alone" time. Yuna remembered the spring in Macalania Woods, and suddenly she found herself there, swimming with Tidus. Tidus was smiling... She remembered that well, even though the forest was fading away after the end of Shiva's fayth. She never wanted Tidus to ever leave her.

The two lovebird's fingers interlocked as Yuna's face met Tidus's. They kissed passionately, and it was only disrupted by Rikku who was pointing and silently laughing. Paine just rolled her eyes as Rikku's actions and smacked the Al Bhed girl on the arm. She turned to Paine with a hurt look on her face.

Suddenly, Paine felt a current of water against her hand, causing her to drop the flashlight. Rikku watched in horror as the flashlight descended only to fall against the sands with an ominous plop. Rikku swam down to the bottom of the chamber, grabbed the flashlight, and panicked in horror.

The sand was shaking wildly, and she watched in fear as the sphere was dislodged from its resting place and rolled into the gaping mouth of some hideous nautical fiend. The creature, who had been entombed with the sands, had now emerged. It was long and slender, much like the Saharyuu. However, it was covered in pallid skin with no claws. A ridge of luminous spines covered its back, and rows of small glowing dots lined its body. A long antenna protruded from its head, curling over with a bulbous, luminous light. Its beady eyes were intent on Rikku, who was startled by the creature.

Suddenly, Rikku was taken over by a false tranquility as she gazed into the depths of the light. "Wow..." she murmured, almost taking off her AirBubble to say the words aloud. She was obviously not thinking clearly.

"What are you doing?" Paine shouted, swimming down to Rikku. No one heard her words, however. A concerned Yuna swam with a faster Tidus to the scene, picking up a thrashing Rikku. Her sanity was only returned to her when the creature, now annoyed by the newcomers, bared a mouthful of shimmering silver fangs.

"Oh no..." Yuna said, turning to the luminous creature. "This looks like a fight." No one heard her inaudible, silent comments.

Rikku, Paine, Yuna, and Tidus lined up in front of the creature, ready to engage. The creature made the first move by enveloping itself in a familiar golden sphere: it had cast Haste.

"Well this isn't good," said Rikku silently as she felt the bulbous light lash against her body. She groaned and countered with two slashes from her masterful knives.

Yuna made that the white sphere upon her belt was correctly in place, then smiled. A White Lore was very useful in times like these. "Dispel!" she called aloud, all though no one heard her, and the Haste effect immediately dissipated.

"That was a short-lived rush," Paine said as she dove at the creature, digging her claws into its pallid flesh. Figuring that no one could hear her, she refrained from speaking.

Tidus picked up his pistol, and then concentration came to him. With fury in mind, he began to rapidly fire a chain of attacks, each bullet landing into the pale creature who roared angrily. The creature turned to him, body glistening, unleashing a chain of powerful Thundaga attacks which shot from the bulbous light.

Paine was suddenly struck with an instinctive idea as she dove at the creature. Instead of aiming for its body, she aimed for the suspended light, which was obviously much more vulnerable and seemed to be the main source of weaponry for the creature. Rikku quickly followed suit, quickly weakening the bond between the light and the creature as the fish-like fiend groaned in pain. It counterattacked with a whip from the light, and Rikku felt the full force of the blow.

Tidus and Yuna initiated a chain attack and shot the light in almost perfect unison. The creature let out a load moan and again rapidly shot a stream of Thundaga attacks from the light. However, the light was quickly dimming. Rikku officially severed it and evanesced into the water, leaving the creature rather defenseless. However, it still countered with a blast of water from its toothy grimace.

Paine groaned as she slashed the creature's stomach. It countered by crunching down on her arm, causing intense pain. Paine couldn't keep from groaning again, and Yuna prayed. A sphere of shimmering light surrounded Paine as the Curaga spell fully healed her limb. Tidus shot a well-aimed bullet at the creature's stomach as it turned upon him, glistening with the aspect of charging up another move.

The creature opened its mouth, and streams of mauve toxins began to weave their way towards the quartet of aquatic warriors. Tidus felt the poison sink into his veins and he felt his strength begin to deteriorate. Yuna rushed to remedy it with a clear shot of Esuna; however she turned around only to find that Rikku and Paine were also afflicted. Paine drank an Antidote, and Rikku faced the poison like man, only to find that she wasn't going to be able to. Tidus healed her by tossing her an Antidote, which she eagerly consumed.

However, no one noticed what the creature was doing this entire time. It was shimmering again, readying another attack. Rikku glanced upwards, and finally noticed the fact just as the creature shot four massive spheres of black ooze from its mouth, lodging themselves around TYRP.

The effect was not poison, but serious damage. Yuna struggled to free herself from the goop; however she was powerless against the oozy force. Suddenly she felt a hand grasp her arm as the spherical figure of the ooze began to collapse, and she found that Tidus had pulled her out. Yuna gazed into his eyes, a feeling of utmost love filling her from her head down to her toes. Tidus smiled and Yuna hugged him, glad that he was back for at least the fifteenth time in the past half-day.

Paine actually grinned a bit as she dove into the creature. She watched as it writhed into a pallid coil and exploded into a swarm of pyreflies which in turn evanesced like its bulbous light into the water. The sphere began to descend back to the ground again, and a triumphant Rikku snatched it and held it up as it glittered in her hand.

"Let's go," she said inaudibly as the four headed up back to the surface.

**====*====**

"What happened to you?" Shinra asked as four drenched sphere hunters entered the ship, still panting for breath. Yuna was clutching Tidus. Rikku looked like she'd been dumped in a bucket of water headfirst upside-down, and Paine merely stood as the water dripped off of her face.

"A stupid sphere, that's what happened," Rikku snapped as she threw the glistening blue sphere at Shinra. He caught it nimbly.

"Let me guess... You want me to analyze it?" Shinra asked, and Rikku and the others nodded. "It'll take be at least an hour, seeing how wet this is. Get dried off and come back when you guys are done."

"One question, Shinra," Tidus said, turning to the small genius who was listening intently. "What was that thing we faced?"

"That was a Lumeviper, otherwise known as a Fathomfish," Shinra explained. "They are quite common in dark aquatic places, especially in swamp. They are known for the light that they produce from a single bulb that extends from their forehead, and also for the intense toxins they create within their body by utilizing their habitual pressure and the impurities within the water itself. Want me to explain?"

TYRP nodded negatively in unison, and Shinra shrugged and sat back down to begin analyzing. Rikku headed off to the cabin, followed by the others to get changed and dried off.

An hour later, TYRP was officially dried off and ready to watch the sphere they had so fervently sought after. Yuna stood near Tidus, whose arm was wrapped around her shoulders. Paine stood off to the side, and Rikku stood on the other side, gazing at the screen that Shinra was operating. He inserted the sphere and instantly the vision began.

"Wow..." was all Yuna said as it began. She saw a beautiful human woman gripping a tightly packaged bundle. It was only seconds until she realized the bundle was an infant.

"Minnal, is the ship ready?" the woman asked, turning to a Guado maidservant who was packing various items of clothing into a bag. Minnal looked up at her mistress, and gave a silent bow. The sphere recorder followed Minnal and the woman as they exited the small room that was increasingly hard to see and entered onto a balcony. A huge swarm of Guados and humans stood under the balcony, booing at the woman and Minnal. Yuna could tell easily that the Guados were separated from the humans, however.

"This is blasphemous! A Guado cannot be with a human!" shouted a priest from below, and the humans roared along with him. The Guado turned back to them, hissing.

"Their filthy blood should not be permitted to combine with that of the sacred Guado!" one Guado nun shouted, and the others roared along with her, challenging the humans in a battle of mob psychology.

"Hurry, Minnal," the woman said as she and the maidservant quickly walked past the balcony and into another door, where Yuna could distinguish someone. Yes, he did have a lighter, turquoise hue in his hair and not such a thick beard, but Yuna could tell that the Guado she saw was Lord Tromell with just a small glance.

"Lady Phiska, the ship is ready. Just go through these doors and we will escort you to your new home in Guadosalam," Tromell said. Suddenly Yuna knew who the lady was, and who her baby was. The baby was Seymour Guado. And she knew that Lady Phiska had to be his mother.

Lady Phiska nodded, and then turned to the entrance to the airship. "Thank you, Tromell. I am sure that Seymour and I will be much happier in Guadosalam then we ever could here in Luca." And with that Lady Phiska entered the airship and sped off.

"That was Seymour?" Rikku said, eyes wide. Paine, however, did not remark Rikku's inquiry. Her eyes were transfixed upon the now motionless screen, as if she were still watching it intently.

"That was Seymour," Yuna said to Rikku, who gasped. "I knew it was him. Lady Phiska must be his mother... And that was Lord Tromell, I know it."

"Do you think we should ask Tromell about it?" Rikku suggested, and Yuna shrugged.

"Seymour," Tidus said, and he was immediately flushed with what seemed like an eternity of hateful memories.


	5. Spheres & Conflicts

Hey! It's me Famfrit (again)! In this chapter of Amour et Haine, you will see a new side of the story (not TYRP) and learn important information. I won't give away anything else, for now at least. Also, I do not own Square Enix or Final Fantasy X-2. Sit back and enjoy!

**====*====**

"How you guys doing?" Wakka said as he opened the flaps of Leblanc and Nooj's honeymoon hut. It was a beautiful day in Besaid, and the sun was shining. Children played Blitzball on the sand and the Aurochs practiced for the upcoming season. "Oops, sorry to intrude."

"It's fine," Nooj said with a smile, getting out of bed. Leblanc was still dead asleep from the party that the couple had thrown the night before. "Don't wake Leblanc, though. She's not the friendliest of people when she gets woken up."

"I'll keep that in mind, ya?" Wakka said a grin. "Anyways, just checking up on you, meyvn. Lu said that she wanted to make you guys lunch today."  
  


"That sounds good," Nooj said. "Thanks, Wakka."

Wakka smiled and departed, heading back to the village. It sure was weird having someone as important as the meyvn of the Youth League, and the wealthy mistress of a sphere-hunting syndicate on the island in a humble hut such as the one they had. But if it was fine with them, it was fine with him. It was their honeymoon, after all.

Wakka ran down the pathway, hopping over the bridges and running under the ruins. He ended up at the shrine at the top of the hill, where he sat for a moment to catch his breath. Then he headed back down to the village to meet back up with Lulu.

"What's happening, Lu?" Wakka asked. Lulu smiled, and pointed to the snoozing form of Vidina in his crib. Wakka smiled.

"It's tough being a parent, ya?" Wakka said with a laugh and scratching the back of his head.

"It's not as tough as I expected," Lulu said, seeming to glide over to Wakka. Wakka was always surprised when she did that.

"My parents... They were kind, and caring," Lulu said, gently stroking Wakka's hair. He blushed.

"Ah, Lu," he protested, but she kissed him anyways. Vidina awoke and began to cry. Lulu turned over to the crying infant, picked him up tenderly in her arms, and slowly rocked him back and forth. Soon he was calm, and he looked straight at Wakka.

"Hey, Vidina," Wakka said with a smile. Vidina grinned and giggled. Lulu smiled.

"See, it's not that hard, is it?" she asked. Wakka smiled a bit, and then turned back to his wife. It was that exact moment that he heard the scream.

"A fiend! A fiend on the beach!" shouted the frenzied girl, who collapsed in the square heaving and panting. "It attacked the children!"

Wakka ran out and helped the woman to her feet. Lulu ran out soon after. "What happened?" Wakka asked concernedly.

"A fiend... It came out of the water, and started attacking the children!" the woman cried. "The children!"

"The Aurochs should hold it off for a while," Wakka said. "Lulu, do you feel up to the task of fighting?"  
  


Lulu nodded, and placed Vidina back in his crib where he giggled a bit before falling back asleep. "Let's go," she said, and the couple rushed off to the beach.

**====*====**

"Children, get away!" shouted Nooj as the fiend leapt from the water, bellowing and screeching. The children dispersed in all directions, some hiding in palm trees and others merely backing up to the rock walls. "Leblanc!"

Leblanc hurried out of the hut, dressed in her familiar magenta dress that exposed much of her slim figure. "Let's fight it, Nooj. I'm sure Wakka and Lulu are coming."

Nooj nodded. The creature was massive, and it resembled a huge slug with thick layers of twisted peach coral for a shell. It was approaching at an alarming rate, and the Aurochs were currently attempting to bludgeon it with Blitzballs. It was not amused.

"Hey!" Leblanc shouted, directing the slug's attention from the children and the Aurochs to her. "Why don't you pick on some people your own size?"  
  


The slug groaned and approached the couple, ending up in a fighting stance. "Let's go," said Nooj and the battle began.

Nooj took out a machina machine gun and began to pummel the creature with bullets. It cried out, zooming forward and whacking him with an angry mouth. Leblanc turned to it, chanting incantations under her breath.

"Blizzaga!" she cried as a diamond of ice appeared in a gust of icy wind and froze the creature in place. The diamond immediately shattered into a million pieces, leaving a chilled and damaged slug in its wake.

The creature began to glow as it charged up a spell. Nooj once again fired his pistol at the creature's gluttonous body, and Leblanc began to cast Firaga. A pillar of white-hot flame shot from the sand, scorching the creature. It finally unleashed its attack, however.

The creature propelled itself into the air, and landed with a seismic force. Both Nooj and Leblanc fell to the ground, weak but not out. Nooj got up, and then helped his wife up. The two stared down the slug creature, which was now preparing another attack.

"Not in your lifetime," Nooj said as he fired a super-charged heat bullet which dug into the creature's flesh with a scorch. Leblanc chanted again, unleashing a vicious Waterga attack which surrounded the creature in a sphere of water which rushed in and forcefully ebbed back.

The creature then rushed up to Leblanc, arching up its ugly head and sending it down at full force. Leblanc was crushed by the attack; however she still got with an angry scream. "How dare you attack the mighty Leblanc!" she said, outraged, before casting a holy Curaga spell on both Nooj and herself.

"Leblanc! Nooj!" Wakka shouted as she ran down, Lulu close behind. "Oh my... This thing is ugly, ya?"

"It's a Coral Dweller," Lulu said. "They make their homes in coral reefs and live under the water for thousands of years. However, a certain disturbance can wake them up, causing them to attack the shoreline and whatever is currently moving on it."

"How do you know all this?" Wakka asked, perplexed. Lulu just shook her head.

"Trust me," she said, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Flare!"

A super-condensed flame of white-hot energy spiraled up from the sand, scorching the creature badly. It roared as it charged at her, whacking her in the side and knocking her to the ground. She quickly got up, glaring hatefully at the creature.

"Don't you dare touch Lu!" Wakka shouted as he fired a Blitzball that Jassu had hastily handed him. It bounced back into his hand as he stared down the creature, which reared on him and gave him a quick whack.

"Thanks," Nooj said with a respective nod, before shooting another round of heated bullets into the creature's flesh. It roared, but did not counter the blow. Leblanc smiled as she unleashed a sonic blast of wind with her metal fan, stunning the creature temporarily.

"All-out attack!" Wakka shouted and threw his Blitzball. Lulu snapped as she cast another Flare spell, and Nooj fired another quick round of hasty, multiple shots. Leblanc finished it off by attacking with another sonic blast from her fan.

The creature roared, then slumped and exploded in a cloud of pyreflies. Wakka hugged a smirking Lulu, and Nooj and Leblanc kissed. "Go back where you came from, ya?" Wakka shouted as the children cheered and the Aurochs whooped.

**====*====**

"So did you ever make up with your girlfriend?" asked a giggling Rikku to Shinra. Shinra merely growled beneath his mask, tapping on the buttons of the research screen with annoyance.

"Did you ever meet up with Gippal and tell him how you feel?" Shinra said. Rikku immediately shut up. Tidus laughed, and Yuna smiled.

"You find anything, Buddy?" Paine asked, looking at the open sky ahead of the Celsius. Buddy turned and looked at her.

"Nope, not at the moment," the Al Bhed said, turning back to the screen. "I suggest you guys relax for a while."

Rikku decided to amuse herself by turning into a Songstress and dancing down in the engine room. Yuna and Tidus decided to take a nap, and Paine decided to take a shower. Brother took a break by going to have a drink with Barkeep, and Shinra decided it was time to make up with Calli.

"I'm sorry for what occurred earlier," Shinra said, looking at the ground in front of Calli.

"It's okay," Calli said. "I didn't mean to do that."

"No, it's just that... There's a reason why I can't take off my mask," Shinra said. Calli looked at him.

"What?" she asked, ruffling the feathers of the Chocobo near her, who nuzzled her palm.

"I can't really tell you," Shinra said, looking down. Calli nodded.

"I understand," she said softly, then turned to the Chocobo. Shinra sulked back to his chair in the deck, making sure that he was busying himself with research.

Paine got out of the shower, dressing into her normal Warrior's garments and then slowly walked to the deck, sitting down near a still sulking Shinra.

"What's wrong?" she asked in her usual unworried tone. Shinra turned to her.

"Nothing," he fibbed. Paine stared at him with a bored look on her face.

"Yeah right," she said, looking at Shinra. "I know something's got you down. Why aren't you as cheerful as you always are?"

"Calli," was all Shinra said. "She likes me but... I can't take off my mask." Paine opened her mouth to speak, but Shinra cut her off. "Don't ask why I can't," he declared.

"That's not what I was going to say," Paine said. "I understand how you feel. You have secrets, but you just don't want to tell anyone, right?"

Shinra nodded. "I never have told anyone, except for my parents..." he said slowly. Paine turned to him, gazing into his mask intently.

"Your parents?" Paine asked. "You've never said anything about your parents."

"My parents died in the Guado infiltration of Home," Shinra said flatly. "They died trying to defend it."

"That's odd," Paine commented. "You don't seem the type who'd hold a grudge, even against the Guado."

"That's because I don't," Shinra said, and left it at that. Paine smiled.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll work it out," she said, patted the young Al Bhed boy on the back, and then sat up and gazed out into the open sky.

**====*====**

"WAKE UP!" Rikku shouted as she jumped up and down in front of her cousin's bed. "Buddy found some information!"

"What?" Yuna said groggily as she awoke, and Tidus yawned.

"We've found some info!" Rikku said again, turning to Tidus. "Hurry up, you slacker!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Tidus said with a grin as he got up. Yuna followed soon after, and the trio jumped off the ledge on the upper level and ran into the elevator. Shinra was running frantically around the deck, and Brother was steering perfectly. Buddy looked over at TYRP.

"We had reports of a sphere-related fiend in Besaid," he said grimly. Yuna gasped.

"Is Vidina all right? What about Wakka, and Lulu?" she asked. "And Nooj and Leblanc?"

"They're fine," Buddy said with a chuckle. "In fact, they're inviting you to spend the night on the island. They said that they found some kind of sphere from a fiend that attacked earlier today. Some kind of slug, if I'm not mistaken."

"A slug? Glad we didn't have to fight it," Rikku said. Yuna laughed.

"Let's go, then," Yuna said, and Paine and the others nodded.

"It'll be my first time back in Besaid, since Sin was defeated," Tidus said. Yuna turned and looked at him.

"You're right," she said with a smile, then turned back to the open sky. "TYRP, let's go!"

**====*====**

It was a cool, breezy night on Besaid Island. The villagers were holding a huge bonfire in honor of the children's saviors earlier during the day on the beach. Leblanc had attempted to dress like a villager, which ended up hilariously wrong. She didn't mind too much, surprisingly enough.

The fire grew higher and higher as the Celsius passed overhead, releasing TYRP as well as Shinra, Buddy, and Brother. Lulu and Wakka greeted Yuna with a smile.

"Hey, what's happening, Yuna?" Wakka asked. Yuna smiled.

"Nothing much, Wakka," she replied. Tidus turned to look at his friend.

"Hey Wakka!" he shouted, and the two friends began to talk. Yuna smiled a bit, and then turned to face Rikku and Paine.

Lulu and Leblanc were talking about the recent activities on the island, and Nooj stood aloof from the crowd, staring in the sky. Yuna walked up to him with a smile. "Hey, meyvn," she called out. Nooj turned around.

"Why hello Yuna," he said rather quickly, not sounding very enthusiastic. "It's good to see you."

"Nice to see you too," Yuna replied as Paine approached the two. Paine glanced quickly over at a cheery Leblanc before turning to Nooj.

"You happy?" she asked quite casually. Yuna looked at her, cocking her head slightly. Nooj stared deep into Paine's eyes.

"Yes," he said. "If Leblanc is happy, so am I." Paine nodded at this comment.

"What's Gippal and Baralai doing nowadays?" Paine asked. At the mention of Gippal, Rikku ran over to join in the conversation.

"Gippal and Nhadala are attempting to have a thorough scan of Bikanel. They said something about Cactuars and Marnela," Nooj said. "Baralai is currently conducting a sphere search in the Bevelle Labyrinth. Says that he scanned the place early on and expects to find some spheres about Vegnagun, or its creators."

"Oh," said Rikku and Paine in unison. Yuna looked at them both for a moment, and then turned back to Nooj.

"Tell me more about the fiend," Yuna said. "Buddy said it was some kind of slug."

"Yes, Lulu told us that it was a Coral Dweller, some sort of coral reef parasite that awakes by certain disturbances, in our case a sphere. It must've swallowed it, and somehow disturbed the sphere enough to get it to send off waves. We quickly dispatched it, though," Nooj said.

"Where's the sphere?" Yuna asked. Nooj merely pointed over to Wakka. Yuna nodded, and YRP walked over to the retired Blitzball captain.

"Wakka, where's the sphere?" Rikku asked, arms akimbo. She gave him an excited look.

"It's in the hut," he said, pointing over to the house, and then resumed talking about the previous Blitzball season.

Yuna nodded, and entered. It was easy to see the sphere glittering in the scant light. She picked it up and began to view it.

Yuna was not surprised to see the Besaid beach. She saw two people standing with a little girl upon the shore, collecting seashells. The mother had short black hair and wore a normal villager's garments. The man was wearing a vest and pants, which was common among male villagers.

"Mommy, this is fun!" said the little girl, and immediately Yuna recognized the two people as the girl's parents.

Her parents only smiled and laughed a bit, and resumed collecting them. Suddenly a Blitzball flew from out of nowhere and hit the little girl in the head. She fell to the ground and began to cry.

"Sorry, ya!" cried an awfully familiar voice, however it was much younger. A young, redheaded villager ran onto the scene, followed by a very similar looking redheaded villager. However, one had a familiar look to him.

"Wakka?" Yuna asked aloud, knowing the first young boy had to have been her former guardian. That would make the other one... "Chappu?"

The little black-haired girl took Chappu's hand as he helped her up. "Thank you, Chappu," the little girl said with a smile. Suddenly Yuna realized who the little girl was, and who her parents were. The little girl was Lulu, and the two people were her parents.

"Anytime, Lu," Chappu said, and Wakka just scratched his head.

"Sorry again, ya," Wakka said to Lulu. She seemed to ignore him.

"Want to see the new Moogle doll I got?" Lulu asked Chappu. Chappu smiled and nodded, and Wakka stormed off to the other side of the beach, bouncing the Blitzball on his head. The sphere ended there.

"Wow..." Yuna said. "I never envisioned Lulu being so coldhearted to Wakka."

"Things change," said Lulu's voice as she entered the hut. Yuna looked up. "Chappu was always my favorite. When my parents died, he took me into his house for a while before I went to be raised in the temple."  
  


"What ever happened?" Yuna asked. Lulu gazed deeply into the former summoner's eyes.

"Well, for one thing Chappu died. The other was when Wakka saved my life."


	6. Wakka's Rescue

Hey, it's me! I hate to leave you with possibilities, and I hope that this chapter fully explains what happened between Wakka and Lulu that changed her mind about him. Anyways, I don't want to say anything else, so without further ado, here is the story! **(DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SQUARE ENIX! OR FINAL FANTASY FOR THAT MATTER!)**

**====*====**

"He what?" Yuna asked, astounded by this new bit of information. "Wakka saved your life?"

"Yes, he did," Lulu said with a grin. "Now that I think of it, I never do think I properly thanked Wakka."

"You didn't thank him?" Yuna said, her mouth agape. "No offense Lulu, but that is a little rude."

"I did," Lulu said softly. "I just don't think I gave him a proper thank you."

Perplexed by this meaning, Yuna shook her head. "What happened? You have to tell me, Lulu!"

At that moment Rikku and Paine walked into the hut. "We've been looking for you," Paine said, all though she was unconcerned.

"I said I was going to watch the sphere," Yuna said. Paine shrugged.

"Rikku was freaking out. Did she eat too much sugar at dinner?" Paine said with a grin. Rikku popped up from the ground, smiling.

"I don't know," Yuna said with a laugh. Rikku scowled at Paine.

"Dr. P, why do you have to be so mean?" Rikku said with a smile. Paine's eyes narrowed into scarlet slits.

"Don't call me that," she said. Lulu turned to Yuna with a laugh.

"What're you guys talking about?" Rikku inquired, turning to Yuna and then to Lulu. "Is it about the sphere?"

"Yes," Yuna said, and held it up for Rikku and Paine to watch.

**====*====**

"Wow! That was Lulu?" Rikku asked, eyes widening. Lulu nodded with a grin.

"I was so naïve back then," she commented, shaking her head. Paine looked at her with a thoughtful look on her face.

"You were pretty uninviting, no offense or anything Lulu," Rikku said with a smile. "And who'd think you and Wakka would get married?"

"That's what we were talking about," Lulu said. "I changed my mind about Wakka after two things: Chappu's death and when he saved my life."

"He saved your life?" Rikku inquired, shocked. Paine was merely watching on the entire conversation. She didn't know too much about Lulu or Wakka, and didn't talk much around them, either.

"Yes," Lulu said. "I remember like it was yesterday."

**====*====**

It was the first day after a couple weeks when it hadn't rained, and in fact the sun had dried up most of the rainwater in just a couple of days. I remember that the boys went to go play Blitzball to celebrate the good weather, and after collecting up my three favorite dolls, I headed out to the beach alone. I knew that was foolish, as the fiends were naturally drawn out of their homes in the rain and liked to prey upon anything that wandered into their territory, including other fiends. However, the sheer bliss of watching Chappu play Blitzball was too great for a nine year old girl such as myself.

I was heading up the hill, thinking about what I would do with my dolls when I got to the beach when suddenly I heard something roar. I looked around, and saw nothing. Frightened, I began to run. Suddenly I realized the roar was not the roar of a fiend: it was the roar of the wind. Turning around and looking up, I saw that a Garuda was following me in close pursuit. I tripped when I was on the first bridge, and the Garuda was just about to attack.

However, Wakka didn't come – not yet. I turned around, closed my eyes, and held my three dolls: a Moogle, a Cactuar, and a Moomba, close to my chest and thought of lightning with all my heart. The Garuda approached quickly, and was in proximity enough to bite into me when suddenly a hot flare of lightning shot down from seemingly nowhere, hitting it right in the center of the skull. The voltage was powerful enough to shut down its brain functions, and so it exploded into a cloud of pyreflies. I will never forget that day because it was the first day I ever used Black Magic. Eventually I trained enough to be able to use it without having to think about what I was casting, but for now I had to stick with the basics. After all, I was only a preteen.

Frightened after that almost fatal encounter, I collapsed on the bridge, heaving and panting. However, I soon found out that I was in the territory of an angry Dingo pack, whose leader was a wrathful creature with a scar across his face. As I got up, I found the bridge surrounded by Dingoes, the foremost of them being the scar-faced leader. The leader lunged at me, striking me with sharp fangs in the leg. I flew backwards, and watched in horror as my Moogle doll went flying down into the water below. I got up, eyes narrowing.

I can remember the things I said, as odd as it may seem. "Moogi! Oh, you've asked for it!" I shouted, and then concentrated. I envisioned a blizzard striking again and again, whipping and lashing with ferocious, icy winds. I opened my eyes to find that my icy spells were successfully and repetitively striking my opponents, who were know fleeing because of the cold. The only one that was brave enough to stay was the leader.

"Get away from me!" I said. It rushed again at me, digging its claws into my dress and throwing me to the edge of the bridge. Frightened, I got up, sacrificing Tihpi, my Cactuar. With only Momo, my Moomba, left, I was pretty angry.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted again, and held up Momo as if to scare the leader off. He didn't budge; instead he lunged at me again, digging a single claw into my cheek. I fell down, dropping but quickly recovering Momo. I glared at the lupine creature, and then envisioned a scorching flame spiraling upwards from underneath his body, toasting him to a crisp. It wasn't to my surprise that I saw the vile wolf launch into the air, propelled by a spiral of fire. I watched as it flew over the ledge and landed with a splash in the water so far below.

I resumed walking, pretty shaken with the encounters of fiends on the bridge. However, the bridge began to make unforgiving creaking noises. I looked down, and to my dismay I found that the creature's weight and sudden movements had snapped a majority of the bridge's ropes. If I didn't move, I'd plummet into the water to meet my dolls below.

I took one step, and with a sigh I found that the bridge didn't break. Only five more steps and I would make it. Too bad I wasn't too good at jumping, as I could've easily made it to the other side. If I had even attempted, though, I would've broken the bridge and easily fallen to my watery grave. I took one step, and nothing happened. I took another, and nothing happened. I took one more, and to my relief nothing happened. Only two planks left before the land. I took one step, lost my footing, and the bridge snapped. I screamed as I clutched onto the plank, but to my horror it began to curl back with my weight. I screamed again as I plummeted downwards, landing at the last plank. It would be not only a long way up, but an almost impossible way to get up. I looked around, and suddenly I was consoled.

"Tihpi! Moogi!" I shouted, picking up my friendly dolls and holding them close to my body, along with Momo. I looked up, then backwards. "HELP!" I cried with all might. It was useless. I'd never make it back up.

I began to cry. I looked up, praying to Yevon that he would grant me enough mercy to spare my life. I felt the plank begin to curl with my weight, and I looked down. It would be a twenty foot drop into rocky rapids in front of a gushing, fifty foot waterfall. 

"HELP ME!" I screamed over and over until my voice was raspy. I began to cry again, trying to climb up but only further weakening the plank I was gripping. Anymore moves would result in my fall into the rocks below.

Suddenly I felt another presence behind me. I looked around as best I could to see, of all people, Wakka. My eyes were full of fear, and I could tell he knew how dire my situation was.

"Hold on, Lu!" he cried, and attempted to run back to get help. Foolishly panicking as I was, I screamed out for him again.

"Don't leave me!" I shouted. Wakka looked back to the village, back at me, and sighed.

"What am I going to do?" he asked. I looked at him, eyes filled with fear and terror. Before I could suggest anything, he had leapt from the ledge onto a wet rock below. He hopped onto another rock on the opposite bank and pulled himself up on the ledge from which the bridge had not broken. He looked down at me, eyes wide and darting back and forth. He was trying to formulate a plan.

"Hurry!" I cried, feeling the wood begin to crack under my fingers. I screamed as I grabbed the plank above the one I had been clutching and watched it plunge into the water and rush down the waterfall. Wakka looked down at me, and suddenly had an idea.

"Lu, I'm gonna need you to be strong, ya?" he asked in his consoling tone. I nodded fearfully. "I'm going to pull out the rope on the right side. You'll need to grab onto the left rope, ya? After that, I'm going to throw it down to you and pull you up."

"You mean I have to let go of the planks?" I asked rather stupidly. He nodded. "Okay... I trust you, Wakka."

I grabbed onto the left rope as hard as I could, watching the plank I had just gripped crack and fall into the water. It was hard clutching onto the rope, as it burned as it dug into my hands. Soon I was dangling precariously as Wakka was hastily gathering up the rope.

"Lu, grab this!" he shouted, tossing down the rope. It landed two planks above me. He quickly lowered it down, and I placed one hand on it. "I'll need you to grab on as tight as possible, ya?"

"Okay," I said, and grabbed onto the rope, letting go of the left rope. It snapped just as I did so, and all the planks and the rope itself plummeted down the waterfall below. It was just the rope, Wakka, and I.

"Hold on!" he shouted, and began to pull me up. Luckily for him, the temple had rations for the orphans and I was quite slim. He began to pull me up, one inch at a time. After what seemed like an eternity, I reached from the rope and grabbed his hand.

"Thank you," I said, just as the rope slipped and I screamed, landing with one hand clutching the ledge for dear life. Wakka, startled, held down his hand.

"Grab on, Lu!" he shouted. With all my might I threw my other hand into his, and he finally pulled me onto the ledge, heaving and panting. He grabbed me by the shoulders, gazing straight into my eyes, and said, "You okay, Lu?"

Before I could stop myself I hugged Wakka. Wakka, alarmed, sighed as I embraced him. "Thank you, Wakka," I said. All though I never saw his face at that moment, I could tell he was smiling. And before he could move to his feet again, I kissed him on the cheek. He flared up as red as the strawberries we had picked a couple months before.

"Lulu! Wakka! What took you guys?" said a youthful Luzzu, running onto the scene. I looked at him.

"Oh, nothing," I fibbed. Wakka looked at me, and I winked. He nodded. Luzzu turned and pointed at the bridge.

"What the heck happened to the bridge?" he asked, pointing a finger. I laughed, and so did Wakka.

**====*====**

"Wow..." was all Rikku had to say. Yuna stared at Lulu, eyes wide with amazement. Paine was smirking a bit, but otherwise she was affected as dramatically as Yuna and Rikku were.

"What ever happened with the bridge?" Yuna said. Lulu gazed into the former summoner's multi-colored eyes.

"Wakka and I lied about a Dingo stampede," Lulu said with a laugh. "It was a miracle the priests believed us."

Rikku laughed. "I can't believe you gathered up those dolls when you were stuck, screaming for dear life," she commented with a chuckle. Lulu smiled.

"You don't believe me?" she asked.

"No, I do believe you!" Rikku said with a grin. "It's just that... Well... That's not really like you, to get all emotional about something inanimate like that."

"I changed," Lulu said. "After that, I never took Tihpi, Moogi, or Momo to another Blitzball game down on the beach. In fact, I never took them to the beach ever again. And I always had second thoughts about that bridge, too."

"So no one ever knew about it, except you and Wakka?" Yuna asked. Lulu nodded.

"I never told anyone," Lulu said. "Not even Chappu."

"Wow, it was that secret, huh?" Rikku chimed in. "That's really something."  
  


"Yes," Lulu said with a smile. At that moment a sleeping Vidina began to cry. Lulu walked over to the sobbing infant and cradled him softly in her arms. He was quickly soothed, and she laid him back down in his crib.

"See, Tihpi, Moogi, and Momo have come to play," she said playfully in her strange maternal way. Vidina giggled, grabbing the three dolls and poking them with a curious finger.

"I bet they're waiting for us," Lulu said, and YRP nodded in unison and headed out of the hut. Lulu kept a wary eye on Vidina as she left, then smiled a bit to herself.

"Yuna!" Buddy shouted, running over to her. Yuna nodded, sensing something urgent. "We're getting crazy sphere waves from Bevelle!"

"Do we have to go?" she asked, and Buddy nodded.

"Shinra and Brother are all ready back in the Celsius. I was just looking for you guys," Buddy said.

"Here, take the sphere," Lulu said, handing Yuna the sphere. Yuna stared into her former guardian's eyes, then smiled and nodded.

"The Celsius is at the beach," Buddy said. "Let's go!"

"What about him?" Rikku said, pointing to Tidus who was talking next to the bonfire with Wakka. She began to giggle.

"Come on," Buddy said, turning to Tidus.

"See you later, Wakka," Tidus called out to a chuckling Wakka as he ran back to Yuna.

"Let's go," Buddy said, and he led TYRP to the beach. Yuna smiled as she crossed the first bridge.

**====*====**

The beach was quite cool, and it was nearing midnight quite alarmingly. Buddy ran up into the Celsius, followed by Rikku and Paine, however Tidus and Yuna took a short stroll outside Nooj and Leblanc's hut.

"Oh Noojie-Woojie," was enough to get them moving away from the hut. With a slight laugh, Tidus took Yuna's hand and ran with her up the clicking and clacking metal runway back into the Celsius, which sped off almost immediately. Yuna began to recollect the dream – no, the nightmare – she had about Tidus and herself in Lenne and Shuyin's positions. It was not a pleasant dream, she knew that much.

The starry sky was beautiful in the deck of the Celsius; however the Gullwings were at work. Shinra busily tapped away at the research screen. Brother busily tapped buttons and dragged routes across the virtual map, and Buddy read the detailed version of the reports about the sphere in Bevelle.

"I suggest you guys take a nap," Buddy said. "By the way I see it now; we are going to be plenty busy with spheres in Bevelle."

Rikku groaned and nodded, and TYRP headed to the cabin. Calli was all ready asleep, snuggled up with the Chocobo in a warm blanket. Barkeep was gone from his post, obviously taken away by Darling.

Rikku collapsed in her bed, and almost immediately began to sleep. She hastily pulled her covers over her body as she snoozed into dreams about getting lost in the Bevelle Labyrinth, with, of all people, Gippal, who had her father's voice.

Paine began to immediately sleep as she landed on her bed, excited with the aspects of finding spheres but not with the aspect of being stuck down in the Bevelle Labyrinth. For a reason she could not explain, she was excited – almost overly so – about getting to meet up with Baralai.

Yuna fell asleep instantly on her bed, forgetting to even get in the covers. Tidus lay down next to her, wrapping an arm around her sleeping form and covering the couple with a fleecy blanket before closing his eyes. However, he couldn't sleep. He never could.

Soon Shinra began to snooze in his chair, and Buddy did in his cockpit. Brother smiled. The Celsius was all his now. With a silent whoop he shot into the air, spinning and turning so quickly you wouldn't have noticed the movement at all.


	7. Meow?

Hey! Sorry for the delayed update, I had stupid homework to deal with... Grr... Anyways, this update will hopefully satisfy everyone who is looking not only for Rikku/Gippal but also Paine/Baralai, as a new twist in plot will... **–evil Cactuar comes up from behind Famfrit and hits him over the head- **Ouch! Never mind... Anyways, I do **_not_** own Square Enix, Final Fantasy, or Final Fantasy Tactics, or Slim Jim... Hehe! Please enjoy!

**====*====**

"Yunie, wake up! And you too!" Rikku shouted frantically in front of Yuna and Tidus's bed. "Buddy has urgent news to tell us about!"

"What?" Yuna said, getting up. Tidus sat up, looking at Rikku.

"Calm down, Rikku," he said. Rikku stopped jumping, but the look on her face told the couple that something was very important.

The three leapt off the ledge. "Where's Paine?" Yuna asked.

"No time for questions!" Rikku said, holding up a finger. "Oh, she's on the deck. Come on!"

After an elevator and a run down the hall, the trio had reached Buddy, who was shaking his head. Paine stood nearby, staring at the wall and the open sky. "Bad news, guys," he said.

"What?" Yuna and Tidus asked in unison. The Al Bhed pilot looked at Yuna's feet, a distraught look on his face.

"We have a request that we can't refuse," Buddy explained. "We have two unwanted guests aiding us in our search through Bevelle."

"What do you mean by that?" Yuna asked, and Tidus nodded. Buddy turned and looked at the door.

"They're in the engine room," he said. "I sent them in there. They were causing too much of a fuss over how Shinra was handling the spheres."

Yuna turned to Shinra, who was now muttering angrily to himself. "I fine-tuned the scanner, cretin," he breathed. "The spheres are in top condition in my care, not your grubby paws."

Yuna turned back to Buddy. "Go meet them," he instructed. "Paine and Rikku will come, too."

Yuna nodded, and then took Tidus's hand. Together the two, closely followed by Paine and Rikku, walked down the hall and into the elevator without a word.

"Do you know who the visitors are?" Tidus asked Rikku. Rikku turned to him, an annoyed and distressed look on her face.

"Yes," she said, "but you don't know them. Unless you recognize them from the wedding, of course."

The doors opened, and Yuna gazed out into the steam that was growing into the room. She heard a deep cough and two faint outlines appeared amongst the thick, misty cloud. The strange thing was that one was at least two heads taller than the other, and the shorter one was about three times the width.

"I would have to say these engines are quite rusted," said a sophisticated voice which Yuna recognized at once. The voice came from the taller, slimmer figure.

"Hahaha," the fat, short one said, but Yuna didn't think it was a laugh. It was a strange form of cough.

The two figures walked into the air, and Yuna's thoughts were verified. It was none other than...

"Why hello, Lady Summoner," Logos said. Yuna gave him a perplexed look.

"Why are you here?" she asked. Ormi walked up to the former summoner, eyes agleam.

"Leblanc was worried about us. She says that it wasn't good for us to be sitting around in Chateau Leblanc. So that captain of yours let us on to aid yous guys in the mission you took," Ormi said. Yuna gave him a confused stare.

"So you're helping us?" Yuna asked. Logos and Ormi both nodded at once.

"Yes," Logos said. "Don't worry. We've agreed to let you keep the sphere you obtain and 75% of the profits. That captain of yours all ready agreed to it, anyways."

"His name is Brother," Rikku said with a smile. "My brother."

"Wonderful," Logos said unenthusiastically. "Shall we get started, then?"

"I... I guess," Yuna said. Paine walked up to Yuna, and then stood in a relaxed position at her side.

"Come on," she said, motioning for Leblanc's henchmen to follow. Under her breath, Yuna heard her say, "Come on, Slim Jim and fatso."

Yuna laughed, just as the six entered the elevator and rose up to the deck. Buddy gave a peculiar look to Ormi and Logos, who didn't seem to care. Logos began to check his twin pistols, and Ormi began to polish his shield. Yuna and the others prepared their Dresspheres.

Yuna looked through the vast selection. She remembered the Mascot Dressphere from stealing back her Garment Grid from a notorious Leblanc, who had posed as Yuna and sung in concert using the Songstress Dressphere. She remembered the Songstress Dressphere, the key that made her appear like Shuyin's lover Lenne in her past adventure. She looked them all over, then finally decided on one of her favorites, the White Mage Dressphere... Again. She gathered her Trainer, Gunner, and Mascot Dresspheres, remembering the heat of being stuck in a Moogle costume. She then locked them into her Garment Grid.

Paine looked over the selection quite gingerly, picking each one up and fingering it carefully, checking their gleam and shimmer. She felt the powers of the orient upon picking up the Samurai Dressphere, and the loyalty of a faithful companion upon lifting up the Trainer Dressphere. She felt chemicals bubble between her fingers upon picking up the Alchemist Dressphere, and cosmic powers of the infinite locked within the Black Mage Dressphere. She finally picked up a familiar one that she had long since mastered: the Dark Knight Dressphere, remembering to pick up the Black Mage, Berserker, and Samurai Dresspheres and locking them securely into her Garment Grid.

When Paine finished her careful selection, Rikku leapt upon the pile like a greedy child with a fistful of coins in a candy store. Her eyes began to gleam upon seeing her favorites, like the Trainer Dressphere and Thief Dressphere. She gazed long and hard into the painful Dark Knight Dressphere, the Dressphere in which she sacrificed her own energy to take away that of her foes. She finally settled on her favorite one, the Thief Dressphere, making sure that her own Garment Grid was equipped with her other favorites like the Trainer Dressphere and Alchemist Dressphere. She then made a quick pick of the Gun Mage Dressphere, one of her personal favorites which she loved to use to blast her foes into smithereens.

Tidus was next and final in line. He had only used the Gun... No, Gunner Dressphere so far, so he picked it. He had three more he could choose. What where they all? Some glistened like gems, others glinted like dark beacons. He grabbed the Warrior Dressphere, as he knew what that was. There was two more Dresspheres to choose. He chose the Samurai Dressphere, as Paine had told him earlier during the campfire that it was a trusty Dressphere. There was only one more to go. He decided to choose something more magical, so he looked over them all again, blocking out tempting ones such as the Dark Knight Dressphere and Berserker Dressphere. His eyes fell upon one that made his mind leapt with joy for some reason, and he felt magic pulsating from it as well as brute force. So, he took it, not knowing that he had grabbed the Trainer Dressphere. He locked all of his choices into his Garment Grid.

When they were all done, Buddy was scanning the radar and constantly watching for messages. Brother was easily piloting the Celsius towards Bevelle. Shinra was tapping away busily on the computer, and Logos and Ormi were playing rock-paper-scissors. Finally, Logos got sick of it as Ormi was always winning, and headed off for the bar.

Suddenly the alert went off. In a flash, everyone had regrouped in front of the cerulean sphere that Brother had once used to direct the party to the Farplane and the holes within the Chamber of the Fayth in each and every Temple, minus Macalania, Remiem, and Baaj. "What is it, Buddy?" Yuna asked. Buddy looked even more distraught.

"Today hasn't been a good one for the Gullwings," he said. "We have two missions to take on, and we have to do them simultaneously if we are to fulfill them."

"Well that's easy," Rikku said. "One Leblanc Syndicate member can go with two Gullwings, making two teams of three each."

Buddy shook his head. "No, it's not that we now have two missions to take on. We just were assigned two more missions, and we'll have to do them all at once if we want to get them – all three – done."

Rikku sighed. "Well, I guess that means one Gullwing with one Syndicate member for two teams, and one team of two Gullwings."

"I'll go with Ormi," Paine said suddenly. Ormi looked at her.

"Whatever she says," he said with a shrug, standing next to the silent warrior.

"Fine then, I'll go with Logos," Rikku said. "I wouldn't want to split up those two just after they got reunited."

Yuna smiled, and Tidus grinned. Rikku stood by Logos, who was grinning to himself. If pretty ladies were involved instead of his blubbering, bloated buffoon of a partner, it might be a good day for the Leblanc Syndicate after all.

"What are the two new missions, then?" Tidus asked. Buddy turned to him, somewhat surprised that the newcomer had talked.

"Well, we just got a message from Zanarkand from an urgent Isaaru. He says that the monkeys are going crazy!" Buddy said with a slight laugh. Paine, Rikku, and Yuna all laughed, remembering how they had made the monkeys fall in love to prevent visitors from the place Yuna sought to protect.

"No, it's not that the monkeys are overtaking it," Buddy said. "He says that the monkeys are disappearing, and quickly. Not only that, but fiends are reappearing in large numbers all over the dome, and he's had to flee up to the entrance from Mt. Gagazet to keep from getting killed."

Yuna's eyes widened at this comment, and suddenly Tidus spoke up again. "Yuna, let's do that," he said. Yuna nodded, knowing how much Zanarkand meant to the Blitzball star.

"What's the other one?" Yuna asked. Buddy turned to her, and then he sighed, glancing a bit in Rikku's direction.

"Something bad is happening in Bikanel Desert. Nhadala said that it's urgent enough for even Gippal to return to the desert," Buddy said. "She said it has something to do with ancient spheres and a fiend we long since thought we were done with."

"You mean...?" Rikku asked fearfully, and Buddy gave a grim nod.

"Yes," he said. "She said that it's about that fiend... Angra Mainyu, she called it. You remember him?"

"How could we forget?" Paine said. "It just took about half the day to find the Cactuar Guardians, and the other half was spent kicking his ass."

"Who wants to do it?" Buddy asked. The group was silent for a while, but finally Rikku spoke.

"I'll do it," she said, looking down. Logos grinned in a peculiar way, one that made Yuna shiver at the sight. Rikku did not look forward to a scorching day under the desert sun, but at least she'd be with him...

"Finally, we have our mission to Bevelle. Sorry I omitted most of the details last night, but you will be aiding Praetor Baralai in the discovery of a series of ancient chambers down in the Bevelle Labyrinth. He says that there are a lot of spheres down there, too. That just leaves you, Paine... and Ormi," Buddy said. The two nodded.

"Sounds like fun," Ormi said. Paine merely glanced at him, and then turned back to the open sky. Well, at least Baralai was apart of the mission. Maybe she could get someone else to come and accompany Ormi so that the fat man wouldn't interrupt.

**====*====**

"Well, we're here," Brother said as the Celsius swooped down over Bikanel Desert, the closest location. "Rikku and Logos, please leave."  
  


Rikku fired a nasty glare as she readied her knives. Logos smiled as he shined his pistols, eyes fixated upon the pretty prize that awaited him in the heat of Bikanel. Suddenly he snapped up straight, and remembered that he was on a mission. He glanced one more time at Rikku, and then left the ship.

"See ya!" Rikku shouted to Tidus, Paine, and Yuna as she got off. Logos waved slowly and without a smile to Ormi, who was off with Shinra arguing about some petty issue. Almost immediately after they saw Rikku dash out into the desert sands did the Celsius lift into the air, shooting off towards Bevelle.

**====*====**

"Paine and Ormi, time to leave," Brother said, pointing to the exit. Ormi grimaced, and Paine rolled her eyes. This would not be fun with the fatso around.

Yuna and Tidus waved goodbye to an unenthusiastic Paine, who was now off the onramp and walking down the luxurious entrance road to Bevelle. Paine gave a slight wave and followed a hopping Ormi down the road, and once again the door shut firmly and the Celsius flew off.

"Bye," Yuna said as the ship flew into the air. No more Leblanc Syndicate members to worry over, and now she was alone: with Tidus. She grinned, taking his hand. He smiled satisfactorily as the clouds whipped by the Celsius like wisps of white light.

**====*====**

"Final stop, Gagazet!" Brother shouted as the Celsius began to descend.

"What?" Yuna asked. They were supposed to be going to Zanarkand, not the sacred Mt. Gagazet.

"We can't land there, remember?" Buddy said. "The fiends are too numerous down there. Way too dangerous to attempt to land, unless you wanted to jump thirty feet or so."

"Gagazet sounds fine," Yuna said. Tidus looked at her, then down at the misty mountain of the Ronso tribe. He remembered the vivid events at Gagazet, when he found out that Seymour knew his father was Sin, when he fainted at the Spring of the Fayth, and when the city of the dead first loomed into view. He also wanted to see an old friend, however, no – make that two old friends. He had wanted a talk with Kimahri, whom he knew now was the Ronso Elder.

"Time to get off, Yuna," Brother said, and the couple smiled as they descended the onramp onto the cold, icy ground that lead up to Mt. Gagazet. Yuna remembered how much fear she felt when Garik would walk by, the ferocious rebel of the Ronso who wished only to kill the Guado. However, Kimahri had successfully reasoned with him and calmed his fiery spirit down.

"Goodbye!" Brother shouted as the door slammed shut and the Celsius blasted off into the clouds. Yuna waved quietly, and the two resumed walking up the frosty pathway. When they arrived at the top where the Ronso commonly gathered, Yuna's blood ran cold.

"Where are they?" she asked, seeing that not one Ronso was standing on the snowy clearing. A hollow wind blew through, chilling the White Mage to the bone. Tidus beside her shivered as well.

"Maybe they... left?" Tidus suggested, but Yuna didn't feel too sure about that. She felt something wrong, a gut feeling she had felt when she had first traversed this path to get up the mountain, after Yevon's true nature had been revealed.

"There's only one thing to do," Yuna said. "We have to check everywhere." She looked around. She couldn't see anything that would help them, but she still felt something odd around her. When she figured out what it was, it was too late.

"No!" she shouted as Tidus took a step, walking onto the ice which began to crack. "A fiend!"

The ice began to rattle and shake as a frozen being rose from underneath. It was obviously alive and active; however an aura of sheer ice surrounded it, veiling Yuna and Tidus and turning their sweat into frost.

"I'm... so cold," she said aloud as the creature began to roar. She shook the beads of ice from her hair, and Tidus drew his pistol, ready to fire. She had remembered to equip her Black Lore for just such an occasion.

"I think we're going to have to fight it," Tidus said. Yuna gave him a worried look as the creature approached. It was massive, appearing as a large creature with four legs layered with ice crystals. A strong torso rose from its front, shimmering with frost and ice, and two broad arms covered in crystals lowered down in front of it. Two blazing eyes of white glared down at the humans, and shimmering locks of crystal hair cascaded behind its glittering figure.

"Are you crazy? Alone?" Yuna said, but Tidus grabbed her, holding her tight.

"We'll be all right. Trust me," he said. Yuna shook her head slowly, and then readied to fight.

The frosty being began by casting Blizzaga, and two enormous ice crystals formed around the two and shattered into a shimmering oblivion, freezing and damaging the two. Tidus charged up a shot, and then released a pistol which shattered upon hitting the creature's icy shield.

"We aren't going to be able to hit it with normal weapons," Yuna said grimly. "I think you'll have to use... something else."

"Like what?" Tidus inquired. "I only brought the Gunner, Warrior, and Samurai Dresspheres…" He remembered the one that had felt so oddly peculiar to him. "And another one, one I didn't know the name of."

"Spherechange!" Yuna said as she was hit by the creature's claws. She immediately reacted with Curaga, which healed her wounds in a glistening prism of light.

Tidus nodded, and began to spherechange. He felt his body glow and his pistol dissipate as he became limp, floating in space. Suddenly he reappeared, clad in an orange, fiery-patterned shirt with a brown vest and his normal black overalls. He landed in a patch of green earth with flowers blooming beautifully...

"You got the Trainer Dressphere?" Yuna asked.

"I got the what?" Tidus asked, but before he could react a dainty Coeurl-like feline had strolled into the flowers, purring softly. Tidus stroked its fur, and it meowed before the small patch of earth disappeared.

"What is it?" Yuna asked, but Tidus was petting it again.

"Good kitty," he said faintly, and the feline, twitching two Coeurl whiskers, began to charge up something.

"I think it's one of those cat things," he said rather vaguely. Yuna looked at the cat peculiarly.

"You mean a Coeurl? Maybe so... But it's smaller, and Coeurls are a lot less friendly, and dirty white and brownish black. Your cat is snow-white with black tiger stripes, and its whiskers are tipped with white, blue, yellow, and red," Yuna says. "Who knows..."

Before she could finish with, "What it is," the Coeurl-like creature hissed fiercely as a typhoon of flame enveloped the creature that was now focused on the feline.

"I'm going to call it... Meow," Tidus said as the icy creature staggered back. Meow purred contently, and Tidus stroked it again. Yuna smiled a bit just as she flew backwards onto the ground, knocked out from an icy blast.

"YUNA!" Tidus shouted, but the former summoner did not reply to his call. He knew she was well knocked out. "Meow! Use... Something hot!" Tidus commanded, and Meow obeyed. She began to charge two stars of white-hot brilliance upon the tips of her whiskers as the crimson stripes at their tips began to glow.

Just as the creature leapt at him again, Meow unleashed her fiery attack, sending another spiral of white flame shooting out from under the enormous ice creature. It staggered back, and Tidus heard a familiar shout.

"Yuna!" Kimahri belted, leaping masterfully over the creature and nimbly landing on his feet right next to Tidus. The two stared at each other, their gazes meeting.

"Kimahri?" Tidus asked. The Ronso Elder's eyes became lit with joy as he smiled his toothy grimace, causing Tidus to laugh a bit.

"It is you," Kimahri said, holding up his Spiritual Lance, a sacred weapon he had received while helping Yuna. "Yuna is in trouble. You fight, I heal."

Tidus nodded, and then Meow resumed her charge of fiery assault. Kimahri's eyes closed and he folded his padded palms, head tilted skywards.

"Raise!" he commanded, opening his eyes. His eyes were pure white without an iris or pupil. A beam of light poured down from a cloudy Gagazet sky into Yuna's unconscious form, and suddenly she awoke.

She groaned a bit, and then stared at Kimahri. "Kimahri?" she asked aloud. The Ronso Elder nodded, and she greeted him with a friendly hug. "Thank you."

"Kimahri is Yuna's guardian. He always do his duty," Kimahri replied, then turned to face the ice creature, spear drawn and glistening. Yuna nodded. "This is a beast called Gagazora. He haunt mountain for many years, until Kimahri lock him up beneath clearing. He break out, and we must fight."

Yuna nodded, and then began to pray. Kimahri thrust his spear, watching as its shimmering edge dove into Gagazora's icy skin. It shattered away. Meow, sensing a drop in strength, leapt faithfully at the small crack, her curious claws digging into the vulnerable flesh beneath. Gagazora shrieked, letting a stream of small icicles and cold breath fire into Meow, who landed upon the ground with a desperate meow and then trotted back to Tidus. Tidus pet the tired feline, and she nuzzled his palm.

Kimahri kept thrusting his spear into the icy layer surrounding Gagazora, and eventually there was a large hole. Meow began to thrash the vulnerable patch of flesh avidly, ignoring the pain she severed through a chilling counterattack. Kimahri began to chant something upon his foggy breath, and the Spiritual Lance began to glow with crimson fire. He then thrust the fiery weapon directly into the center of the vulnerable flesh, causing the Gagazora to bend down.

"_Gagazora, titan of winter, retreat back to your sealed realm_," he chanted, and Gagazora roared as it exploded into a glassy crystal, shimmering with utmost brilliance. Yuna gasped at its beauty as it fell, and she watched it descend into the cold darkness below. Kimahri blew his breath onto the wind, and suddenly the platform, which now had a gaping hole, began to quake violently. Suddenly a cloud of mist descended upon the hole, and when it lifted the platform was as good as new.

"You didn't kill it?" Tidus said. Kimahri shook his head.

"Elder does not kill. Elder protect," he explained. "Gagazora pose no threat when sealed. Kimahri seal him up... He will not attack again, at least for awhile."

Tidus and Yuna nodded all though the Blitzball player was still quite perplexed. Kimahri stood silently, and Yuna sensed something different about his appearance she hadn't noticed before.

"You seem... different," Yuna said as the cold Gagazet wind began to blow about. Kimahri nodded.

"Ronso honor Kimahri with robe of Elder. It is heirloom among Ronso," he said. That was it! He was wearing some sort of feathery robe, made of a light blue material that shone beautifully in the clouded light. Feathers lined the mantle, and Yuna could tell he liked being in such a grand robe.

"Where are all the Ronso?" Tidus asked. Kimahri turned to him, eyes widening.

"Ronso flee to summit of Gagazet. Fiends begin to swarm Zanarkand. That is bad omen among Ronso. We stay up in ruins until fiends leave," Kimahri explained. Yuna remembered the floating ruins the Gullwings had found near the beginning of their quest.

"What about Isaaru?" Yuna asked. Kimahri fell silent, and then stared to the sky, a distant look in his eyes.

"The guardian does his duty. He guards Zanarkand," Kimahri said. "Ronso believe he is foolish. I believe he do what he think right."  
  


"Is he okay?" Yuna asked, concerned. Kimahri shook his head.

"He disappear from Gagazet. He say that he is fine," was all he had to say.

"Let's go meet him, then. He might know something about the sphere that is supposedly here." And with that, Yuna began a slow walk up the towering Mt. Gagazet.


	8. Omega's Five

Due to my absence (caused by EVIL HOMEWORK and a down Internet) I am trying to update really quickly. I assure you that I will work with utmost urgency and fervor… **-Evil Cactuar begins to laugh at Famfrit's attempt to speak eloquently- **What are you doing here? Leave me alone! **–Cactuar runs off laughing- **:*( Anyways, I hope you like the entry, and **I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY OR SQUARE ENIX**!

**====*====**

"Where is he now, then?" Rikku inquired to Benzo, who was sitting on a crate filled with ancient parts of machine. They were just about to be shipped off to Djose to be used for research. The Cactuar translator was currently off-duty from an issue that had arisen earlier between the Al Bhed and Cactuars. Marnela, overjoyed with the defeat of Angra Mainyu, had suggested continuing research of ancient Spira by finding spheres scattered throughout the desert. The Al Bhed complied, and Benzo had spent hours translating speeches by Marnela and her fellow cacti on directions and myths about such spheres. Now he was cooling off with a frosty capsule of water and listening vaguely to Rikku.

"I can't be sure. Gippal said he had business to attend to dealing with the Cactuars... I find it odd that he'd be interested in the Bikanel project, though, seeing that he's the leader of the Machine Faction and all," Benzo said. Logos walked up, pistols readied.

"Young boy, tell us where he is," he hissed. "Or I shall be forced to play a little game with these two guns."

"Logos! Stop being so mean!" Rikku said, and whacked his shoulder with a clenched fist. He grabbed his shoulder in pain for a split-second, and then smirked a bit in a way that frightened the young Al Bhed girl.

"He's off with Nhadala. They're looking for spheres now in the Western Expanse," Benzo said, oblivious to the threat. "I'm sure the driver will be happy to direct you there."

Rikku sighed, and then walked off to the hover, a still smirking Logos not far behind. Rikku stopped in front of the driver and in a polite but urgent way commanded, "Take us to the Western Expanse. We need to speak to Gippal."

The pilot shrugged, and then headed to the driver's seat. Rikku flipped into the back seat, while Logos comfortably walked in through the side and took a seat next to Rikku. She scooted away from him, and he looked away to the swirling dunes. The hover began to shake, then it zoomed forward gracefully upon the sands like an eagle in flight.

Rikku looked out into the endless line of fiery sands, and she saw something that caught her eye. A tiny green speck was flipping over the sands, and after at least five minutes she figured out it was a Cactuar. She smiled a bit. Cactuars, as pesky as they were, had always been her favorite thing about the desert.

Logos looked over at Rikku, eyes agleam. The girl was obviously not interested in him. That didn't matter; he had a perfect view of her backside from the way she was sitting. Rikku felt eyes upon her back, and she swiveled around, eyes in tiny slits.

"What are you doing?" she said to an astounded Leblanc Syndicate member.

"Oh, just looking at the beautiful view," he said with a snicker. Rikku figured out the hidden words' meanings, and she smiled in a satiric way that actually frightened Logos.

"Oh, are you? Wonderful." Her words were like fire upon the sandy air. Then she opened her mouth to speak again. "Oh yeah, stop looking, you perv."  
  


Logos's hopes of courting with the little lady took a blow, landing with a dreadful splat. He turned away, staring into the sky. Rikku sighed and turned away. Before the two knew it, the hover had come to a stop.

"He should be out there," the driver said, shrugged, hopped back in the hover, and departed to the dismay of a frantic Rikku.

"How are we going to get back?" Rikku asked, a frightful look stricken upon her face. Logos shrugged.

"I have no idea... Perhaps we will return with the hover that is all ready here?" he suggested with a slight laugh before leaving the girl in the dust. An exasperated Rikku followed, readying her knives in a fearful fashion.

"The sooner we find Gippal, the better," she murmured. The two headed across the hot sands, and at the top of a rather large hill they had a perfect view. Off in the distance, they saw the tiny speck that was the hover. Rikku headed off in that direction, making sure that Logos wasn't staring at her.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they reached the hover, panting and sweating. Nhadala stood there, checking things off a billboard and shaking her head sadly. She looked at the two desert travelers and gave a smile.

"Hello Rikku," she said, "and your friend over there." She didn't recognize Logos, all though she had seen him before at the Oasis.

"Oh, he's not a friend," Rikku said, the words barely escaping her clenched teeth. Logos gave a satisfactory smile. "Where's Gippal?"  
  


"Gippal's out looking for spheres amidst the sands. Says he found something huge, but I haven't been without work for at least half a day now," she said with a sigh. "I've been checking off items on a checklist, computing complex calculations in my head, and calculating the positions of the spheres according to the radar. So far we've found useless ones."

"Useless?" Rikku asked, and Nhadala withdrew a handful of small, sandy green spheres. 

Nhadala said with a sigh, "Gippal found them in a small chamber yesterday. We viewed them, but they are pretty unimportant."

"Can I see?" Rikku inquired. Nhadala nodded, and handed her the spheres. She reluctantly held them up so both her and Logos could see.

Inside the first showed a dune and the window blowing. An emotionless Cactuar lay upon the dunes, sand billowing around it. After about half a minute, the sphere ended. Rikku viewed the next one, and it was much the same all though now three Cactuars lay draped across the dunes. The third one was exactly identical accept she saw one Cactuar fall onto the sands during the sphere and lay like the others. The fourth one featured six Cactuars, and the fifth featured at least a dozen. They were all emotionless and unmoving, except for the third sphere.

"They're... sleeping," Nhadala said with a shrug. "Well, that's at least what I figured from their behavior."

The image of the Cactuar falling onto the dunes was rolling through her mind again and again, and suddenly she knew the frightening truth. "Nhadala... They aren't sleeping. They're dying."

**====*====**

"Come on," Maroda said. "The praetor is just inside. It's not like you're running a race."

"For him it is," Paine said coldly as she walked through the grand doors. A panting Ormi followed quickly after, bursting through the doors much louder than she had been. The misty entrance room to the enormous HQ of New Yevon was quite frightening for the sphere hunter. Paine merely sighed as she boarded the lift, taking a shaking Ormi up to Baralai's office.

She knocked on the door. There was no answer, but she heard the shuffling of feet and the door opened. A pallid Baralai stood behind the door, eyes wide. "Come in," he directed, and the two walked into the luxurious office. The two walked down the ledge and sat on two hover-stools, sitting in front of an ornate desk featuring small statues of Lord Zaon and Lady Yunalesca, which made Paine vexed.

"Why the statues of... them?" she inquired. Baralai looked down at the statues, and looked at her with wide eyes.

"I'm planning to dump them, don't worry. This was once Mika's office, before he disappeared the way he did," Baralai explained. "I'm not keeping them here because I want to."

Paine raised her eyebrows, and then turned to Ormi who was looking around and sniffing the air as if food was about. She smirked a bit and turned to the praetor. "So, how's it been?" she asked.

"That's what I need to talk to you about," Baralai said shakily. "I found a rather frightening sphere. I've been afraid to show it to anyone... but I wanted you to see it." Paine nodded, and Baralai held out a white, misty sphere. Paine picked it up, raised it to her eyes, and then peered in to take a peek.

She could see it was the Bevelle Labyrinth. A strange figure stood, hunched over something Paine couldn't really see. It was a while before she found out the figure was a man—tranquil and at the same time fearsome.

The man was cloaked in indigo, and a strange sigil of silver lacquer was printed upon a black tunic that he wore. Two elegant wings of black, feathered daintily, pointed down from his shoulder blades. A long sheath lay upon his waistline, and Paine could tell it held a powerful blade. The man had dark black hair that cascaded down his back. His eyes were burning red, and Paine stepped back in surprise.

"The Five have finally been found," he said into the sphere. "Prepare for the ultimate end of Spira. Armageddon has finally arrived for the wicked." He released his hands, dropping five spheres, each of a different color—brownish orange with a core of red, light blue with a core of turquoise, shimmering white with a core of cerulean, amber with a core of sparkling white, and black with a core of dark, tainted purple—all of which began to glow. "_Awaken, apocalyptic spawn of darkness!_" he shouted and the spheres began to intensify their glow, eventually becoming bright white.

"Now you shall see who is running the show, Spira," the man said with a cackle. "Know that Omega sends his regards." The man neared the recording sphere as the spheres he had thrust upon the ground evanesced into thin air.

_"There were five that were created from the depths of the darkest soul,_

_There were five that were created to achieve the darkest goal._

_One was borne amongst the tides in the city of the dead,_

_One was borne amidst the burning sands where all the exiled fled._

_One was borne in the darkest fathoms of the city of the light,_

_One was borne amongst the barren glen of electrical might._

_The final, fifth, and foremost was borne within the darkest tomb,_

_Waiting, watching, cursing, taunting, counting Spira's doom._

The sphere ended abruptly, and Ormi who had joined to watch was shocked. Paine's eyes widened immensely, and she stared for a long time at Baralai. "What in the world was that?" she asked. Baralai looked at her meaningfully.

"I didn't know for sure. But I did some research," he said, pulling out a small glyphic book based with gold. "This is Grand Maester Mika's 'Tome of Foundation'. Don't ask me what it does, but apparently he hired Seymour to figure out different issues pertaining to this matter. Apparently, I wasn't the first person to find the sphere."

"What do you mean by that?" Paine asked, and Baralai flipped to a page and pointed down. Seymour's fancy script was upon the page, and Paine could clearly read what it said. The poem had been written down, and notes were scrawled along its sides. Seymour had identified the places described in the poem.

"The tides of the city of the dead... Zanarkand?" Paine said as she read the notes. That made sense, but suddenly something hit her. "Is it Sin?"

"No. Seymour wrote that down, too," Baralai said, pointing to a small note reading: 'This is NOT Sin.' Paine shrugged shakily.

"The burning sands... That's Bikanel Desert," she declared. "And the electrical glen is the Thunder Plains."

"Yes, that's what he said," Baralai said. "But look at where the fifth one was borne."

He pointed to a bolded note near the bottom. "The Fifth was borne in the Omega Ruins," she said aloud. "Didn't Yuna destroy Omega near the end of Sin, though? She told me all about it." Thoughts of the traitor to Yevon filled her mind with dark thoughts, ones she had long forgotten. "Omega is dead, isn't he?"

"Seymour figured out the answer to that, too," Baralai replied, pointing down to a small note on the page. "Apparently he wrote that Omega made some kind of demonic pact to get vengeance... He offered his soul to demons for revenge, ultimately turning him into a fiend with his traitorous partner, Ultima. But there was something more to this pact than just that... He must have created the Five, then."

"What are 'the Five'?" she asked. Baralai's eyes filled with fear.

"I researched again," he said. "I found that they were put into legend. The Five are five titans created to create chaos and havoc amongst Spira and ultimately end it... once and for all. But that's not what scared me."

Baralai pointed to the note next to the one pertaining to 'the darkest fathoms of the city of the light', making Paine's blood run cold. The note read, "This is Bevelle."

**====*====**

"So why are all the fiends appearing?" Tidus asked, a sleeping Meow huddled in his arms. Yuna was softly stroking the Couerl-like feline's fur, causing the resting cat to purr in her sleep.

"Waters are at unrest around Zanarkand," Kimahri explained. "Fiends come from the water and swarm the land."

"Strange," Yuna said thoughtfully, the chilling Gagazet wind piercing her skin. It had never been, and would never be an easy trip to make it to the end of Mt. Gagazet, sacred mountain of the Ronso. It was chilling and grueling.

"Zanarkand is city of dead. Raging waters cause unrest amongst dead," Kimahri said grimly. "Spirits come to Zanarkand. It is not safe."

"Where does Isaaru... guard?" Yuna inquired.

"Ronso do not know. Guardian of Zanarkand guard where he need."

With that, the trio resumed their trek up the mountain. Meow lay sleeping in Tidus's grasp, and suddenly she awoke, leaping onto Yuna's shoulder. Yuna laughed, petting the friendly feline, and as she did so Tidus's hand met hers. Her eyes flew to his, and for a moment she felt ultimately at peace.

"What is Meow?" Tidus asked Kimahri. "You knew what that Gaga-thing was, so you probably know what species she is, too... don't you?"

Kimahri looked at Meow, who looked back with shimmering eyes. Kimahri turned to Tidus. "She is Coeurline. Coeurline live on mountain slopes and are friendly to Ronso. Ronso respect the Coeurline when they help against mice and rats."

"A Coeurline, eh?" Tidus said, petting the feline's head. She closed her eyes in contentment as Yuna stroked her pure-white fur. She had a beautiful, silky pelt, but the pigments at the end of her whiskers were strange and bristly all though brightly colored. Yuna somehow sensed something magical within them, and the Coeurline looked up at the former summoner when Yuna's fingers lightly brushed their tips. Maybe they were sensitive, too.

"What are we going to do?" Tidus asked almost randomly at the summit of Mt. Gagazet. Kimahri had stopped to meditate for a moment, and Yuna stopped to take a break from walking. Strangely enough no fiends had been on the mountain, all though she felt a hostile presence lurking not too far ahead.

Tidus recognized this as the place of many different events before the party had reached Zanarkand. It was where Seymour had once again appeared to them and told them of the massacre of the Ronso, and that he knew who Sin's true identity was. It was here that Yuna had found out the secret he had masked for so long.

"I think we should meet up with the Ronso in the ruins," Yuna said. "We can regroup there to figure out what we should do about Isaaru and the sphere." Tidus nodded.

"That sounds good... WATCH OUT!" he shouted abruptly, pulling back Yuna and causing them both to collapse upon the ground, narrowly missing an enormous spike that shot out from beneath the rock. The snowy rock began to crumple, descending thousands of feet from the edge. "KIMAHRI!"  
  


The brave Ronso Elder held onto the ledge by merely a hand and was struggling to help himself up. Yuna lunged at him. "Kimahri, hold on!" she shouted, grabbing his hand. She couldn't let him die! This was all too fast for her... She groaned as she began to heave him up onto the rock, and just when she was about to break her grip Tidus embraced her around the stomach, supporting and strengthening her. Yuna was filled with warmth and hope and began to pull again, and finally Kimahri pulled himself onto the ledge, heaving and panting.

The exhausted trio turned around to face whatever had controlled the spike to jut from beneath the rock in the first place. Tidus and Yuna gasped in awe and fright, and Kimahri gazed into its hateful eyes bravely. It was enormous scorpion-like fiend, its exoskeleton grisly gray and its gaping eyes dark and endless. Its eight legs were like spindly, spidery scythes, and its two front claws were sharp and jagged. Two sets of dusty wings supported its back, allowing it to hover.

"What the hell is this?" Tidus muttered as the creature reared into the air, snapping viciously and letting out a fearsome bellow. Meow leapt onto his shoulder, gazing up at the creature with wide eyes. It was then that Yuna noticed the most peculiar thing about Meow. One of Meow's eyes was blue, and the other was green, just like her.

"Wintros," Kimahri said, wide-eyed. "Specters of Gagazet. They hostile creatures with dark minds... Demons."

"Wintros?" Yuna asked out loud as the Wintros turned to her, cutting down with a scything claw. She was hit full force, feeling herself fly into the icy mountain behind her. She crumpled to the ground before getting up and brushing her wet robes off a bit.

"Meow, attack it!" Tidus commanded, and the Coeurline leapt from his grip and latched onto the Wintros, digging her claws into its thick hide. She was stuck for a moment before losing her grip and running back to Tidus, having done no damage.

"Its hide is impenetrable," Kimahri said. "Only powers of light can harm."

"You mean that I can damage it with healing spells?" Yuna inquired, and Kimahri nodded as he began to charge up a White Magic spell. Tidus followed suit, commanding Meow to charge up a healing spell.

"Curaga!" Yuna shouted as a sphere of white light glistened around the Wintros. It appeared unaffected for a moment before staggering back, the light seeping into its ghastly pores. Meow unleashed a curative spell as well, which dug into its exoskeleton and caused it to stagger back in pain.

"Holy!" Kimahri shouted as a ring of pearly white orbs surrounded the Wintros, illuminated by a cloudy sky. Suddenly they spiraled upwards, leaving an assault of powerful holy damage in their wake. The Wintros shrieked in pain and began to sparkle before unleashing Ultima.

Tidus gripped Meow and Yuna as he flew into the wall, hit his head hard, and plummeted to the ground. Kimahri was blown back, watching as his Spiritual Lance clattered uselessly yards away. Yuna, shielded by Tidus, watched as she merely was knocked over. She felt her life lessen as she drifted into unconsciousness. It was up to an unarmed Kimahri to finish off such a beast now.

Meow nudged her master, and then nudged Yuna. They both would not awaken. Knowing what they would do in her shoes, she daintily fetched the Spiritual Lance and dropped it by Kimahri's side. The Ronso picked it up as Meow leapt into his strong grip, and she climbed onto his shoulder. The Wintros began to charge up another spell.

Kimahri leered as he began to charge another holy spell. Suddenly, the sky became clouded and the ring of orbs descended and ascended, leaving the Wintros badly damaged in its wake. Still alive, the Wintros cast Flare, sending Meow to the ground, charred by the hot energy. Kimahri flew back, watching as a nearly flaming Spiritual Lance landed dangerously close to Meow's body. His eyes fluttered into unconsciousness.

The Wintros had successfully won, and thus descended upon the party unfortunate enough to be attacked by it. They all had tantalizing souls to devour... But the girl's was especially delicious-smelling. It hovered above her, ready to siphon her soul from her unconscious form. Just as two claws headed in to draw out the fragrant morsel, a beam of white-hot light shot through the Wintros and the foul creature exploded into a large swarm of pyreflies.

Isaaru leapt nimbly from his aerial vantage and landed near Tidus's unconscious form. He began to drag all the unconscious bodies into the shelter of the shade, and then began to cast reviving spells upon the three. Almost immediately three beams of light shot from the sky and landed upon the bodies, causing them to awaken.

"What the..." Yuna said, turning drowsily to Isaaru. Her eyes widened. "How did you get here?"

"I was watching you," he replied. "If it weren't for me, the Wintros would've eaten your soul."

Yuna shivered as Isaaru withdrew a fleecy blanket from his bag and wrapped it around the former summoner. She bowed slightly in thanks, and Isaaru smiled. "Don't thank me. I should thank you," he said. "Ever since the monkeys became a part of Zanarkand, I found myself without duty. I fled to the Ronso, but when the monkeys began to disappear... I knew it was my part."

Yuna nodded slightly. Tidus opened his eyes, staring at Isaaru for a moment. "Isaaru? Is that you?" he asked. Isaaru nodded slightly. Tidus waved a bit, and Yuna laughed. "Good to see you again. What's up?"

Isaaru grinned, eyes shining. He had found some peace amidst all of this confusion. Yuna got up, and then turned to a drowsy Kimahri.

"Kimahri! It's Isaaru!" he said, an unconscious Meow leaping into Tidus's arms as the Blitzer laughed. Kimahri nodded.

"Hello Isaaru, guardian of Zanarkand."


	9. Past, Present, and Future

Hey! It totally blew my mind about Marnela being dead at the end of the game; I couldn't remember it when I was writing the last few segments... Well anyways, I **_DO NOT OWN SQUARE ENIX OR FINAL FANTASY X-2!!!!!!!_** Now that that's taken care of, on with the story, eh?

**====*====**

"I'm going to die," Rikku moaned, the sun beating down upon her miniscule body. Logos was slumped over in heat and exhaustion, and hadn't said a word for quite some time. "There is no way Gippal could've gotten out this far into the desert by himself."

Sweat dripped down Rikku's radiating face as she fell to her knees, collapsing upon the hot sands. It mattered not to her anymore; all she wanted was to sleep... She heard Logos groan as he collapsed behind her, and she lay in the sand dreaming and awaiting a scorching end.

She opened her eyes. She was floating in the clouds! She gasped. Was this a dream? Could it be a dream? She flew around, eyes filled with wonder and amazement. Suddenly she saw Gippal. She flew over to him. He seemed to be suspended in midair.

She couldn't resist the urge to kiss him, and so she planted a peck upon his cheek. Suddenly the clouds faded into a hot desert sky and the world below her became the scorching dunes. Then she noticed that someone was carrying her.

"Well, that was a little out of the blue," Gippal said with a hearty chuckle. Rikku's face flared up with embarrassment. "I've never had someone kiss me when they're unconscious before."

"What?" Rikku asked, putting on the innocence. Gippal merely grinned and laughed again. "I kissed you?"  
  


"Yes, Rikku, you did," Gippal said. Rikku's face, still beet red, and did not falter its color. She was doing a very bad job at looking innocent.

"Oh..." was all she could mutter before she had to concentrate to resist the urge to smack herself. Gippal was carrying her in his arms, and she couldn't move her feet and her arms were achy. Then she finally got the guts to say something again. "Uh... Cunno?" she said.

"Hu ybumuko haatat (No apology needed)," Gippal replied. This only caused Rikku to blush harder. She looked down to the ground, and suddenly noticed something.

"Where's Logos?" she asked, relieved to change the subject. Gippal let out a loud laugh, and motioned for Rikku to look behind. She did, and she couldn't resist laughing.

A small band of Cactuars was supporting Logos from underneath, taking him gingerly across the sands like a crab. Logos was obviously still unconscious, and the Cactuars obviously quite annoyed to be stuck with such a job.

"Cactuars?" she asked, and Gippal nodded.

"They are some of the best workers, oddly enough. They can survive the heat well and have more strength than you can probably imagine," Gippal replied. Rikku nodded.

"How long did it take to find us?" Rikku inquired. Gippal looked down at a small watch on his wrist, and then turned back to his former girlfriend.

"About half an hour or so. Nhadala radioed me and told me that you were coming. When fifteen minutes had past from when she thought you'd arrive I got a little worried, so I set out looking for you. Looks like Cid's daughter forgot to bring some water bottles."

"Ah, Gippal, don't be mean," Rikku said with a smile. "Nhadala didn't tell us how long the trip would be."

"Don't worry. There is plenty of water at the camp. But I need you two to come see something I discovered earlier today," Gippal said. Rikku nodded, and suddenly she felt peaceful... and happy.

**====*====**

"Wow," Yuna said as Zanarkand loomed into the horizon. She sensed hostility, and could easily see it. Fiends leapt from towers and destroyed buildings, attacking each other and destroying the ruins. She could barely see the outline of a monkey which unfortunately was knocked out of view by an angry Behemoth, which frightened the former summoner.

"What the hell..." was all Tidus could say. He felt a strange sort of judicious rage spark within him, a feeling that made him want to pick up a stone and hurl it at the rampaging fiends. They were destroying the last remains of Spira's past...

"This worse than Kimahri thought," Kimahri said sadly. The Ronso Elder had proposed to tag along with the team when they had regrouped at Gagazet. Isaaru had decided to help them as well. He held his Spiritual Lance proudly, shimmering lightly. He had polished it with hot spring water to take off the marks the Flare attack of the Wintros.

Meow had somehow found her way into Isaaru's arms, and the guardian was petting her soothingly. He gazed into the horrific sight that was Zanarkand. "I have failed..." he murmured under his breath. Meow's eyes widened at this comment and she turned to him, eyes meaningful.

"What are we going to do?" Yuna asked. No one answered for at least another minute.

"Purge," Kimahri said. Yuna, Tidus, and Isaaru turned to him, eyebrows raised.

"You really think we should try to clear out all those fiends? It'll be risky business," Tidus said. "Not to mention we'll probably get killed halfway through there."

Yuna turned to him for a moment, and then looked down to her white boots. "It's certainly heroic, but it might turn out to be foolish. We need to see how strong the fiends are."

"No need," Isaaru said. "I was only able to kill one in a party of three before almost getting drowned. I had to flee at that point."

Yuna's eyes widened. "I don't know..." she murmured.

"Isaaru is one. We are four," Kimahri said. Meow gave him a nasty glare. "We are five," he said, correcting himself.

"You're right... I'm sure together we'd get far, but I certainly don't think we'll get to the end," Isaaru said doubtfully, looking down.

"We have to make a decision," Yuna said. "Either we turn back now or go on through."

No one said anything for what seemed like an eternity. "I say we go through," Tidus said finally.

"Kimahri agrees," Kimahri said. Meow let the party know her decision by meowing loudly and nodding her head.

"What about you, Isaaru?" Yuna asked. The edgy protector turned to her.

"It is my duty," he said slowly, then turned back to Zanarkand. "I swore to protect the spirits of those long gone. It's my turn to protect Zanarkand now that its true protectors are gone."

Yuna nodded. "Let's go," she said, and the party headed to the entrance, full of fear and eyes full of excitement.

**====*====**

"I'm scared!" Ormi blabbered out, nearly in tears. Maroda rolled his eyes.

"Calm down. It's just a lift," he said as the lift reached the bottom floor. "Maroda and Ormi, reporting in."

 "We're in the turbine," said a fuzzy voice, and Maroda figured it was the praetor. But then again, he could never be sure.

"Okay. We'll set up the post in the Chamber of the Fayth. You guys continue looking for... whatever that thing is," he said shakily. The walkie-talkie turned off.

"Come on, you fat lug," Maroda said to a shivering Ormi. Ormi turned to him, his eyes slits. "We're making an outpost that requires no scary machinery."  
  


Ormi continued walking with Maroda, who stopped in the Chamber of the Fayth. "Okay. You set up a watch post. I'll keep constant surveillance on the hole," Maroda said.

Ormi nodded edgily, and the two began to watch for any signs of movement. This was going to be a long, long ordeal.

**====*====**

Paine, dressed in her Samurai's uniform, let out a short sigh as she snapped her fingers. The magical fiend before her lost its boost of magic power, and Baralai dispatched it with a swift swipe of his razor-ended staff.

"This is getting us nowhere. The farther we go in, the farther it'll take to get out," Paine said. "Face it, Baralai. We're stuck on this stupid turbine."

"Okay, I will," the praetor said. "But I know that something's here."

"Like what?" Paine asked. She looked into the eyes of her friend. "Is it hostile?"  
  


"Yes, very much so," Baralai calmly replied. Suddenly his eyes widened. "Was that sphere here before?"

Paine looked at a small white sphere glowing on the wall. "No," she said, shocked. Baralai walked up and touched it.

"That didn't do anything," he said flatly just as the turbine shook, descending rapidly into the ground. Paine shouted out in shock, lost her footing in the rapid speed, and felt herself plummet off the mechanical ledge she had based herself on.

The darkness was shooting around the turbine now as it bored into the ground, and she grabbed the edge as she began to descend. She was holding on with one hand. "Baralai!" she shouted. "Help!"

"What happened?" Baralai asked, his tone grave. A small beam of light illuminated the situation for a split-second before throwing the two back into total darkness. He grabbed her hand and began to pull as she did.

The next few seconds were all pandemonium for him. The turbine hit solid earth, causing a seismic shock which caused him to drop Paine's left hand. She was hanging on by a thread now. Her fingers began to slip. "Not now..." he groaned, mustered all of his strength and heaved her onto the ledge just as the darkness began to subside. Only when the light filled the room again did he notice that Paine had collapsed on top of him.

Paine smiled in a strange way, and then kissed the praetor on the cheek before standing up. Baralai's eyes widened, but he did not say a word. He grabbed his staff and began to help Paine onto the ground, which seemed a thousand feet below.

Paine smiled victoriously to herself. Had she just done that? Yes, she had, but it was justified... Or was it? She didn't know, but she couldn't wipe the grin from her otherwise emotionless face. It might be a thousand feet back to the ground, but it mattered not to her.

**====*====**

"WOW!" Rikku shouted as Gippal led her into the chamber. Its walls, ceiling, and floor were covered in glistening gold. Runes and glyphs were etched into the thick gold and sparkling like diamonds. At the end was a small golden pedestal, elegantly carved. And atop the pedestal was a glistening tawny orb.

"I all ready viewed the sphere," Gippal said. "I want you to see it, too."

Rikku nodded, ran to the sphere, and raised it so she could see its contents. She peered in to see at least a hundred Cactuars draped across the sands, and immediately remembered the spheres that Nhadala had found.

Suddenly something loomed into view. She saw two skeletal limbs, and immediately knew what the fiend was. It was Angra Mainyu, terror of the sands. Suddenly an unfamiliar voice began to speak in the sphere.

"You see, Marnela, your people dying at my hands? Release your kind to me and I shall save them, and you will live under the One of Flame. If not, you can rot away in the desert," it said. There was no reply. "You see the One of Flame approaches now, Marnela. Once I whistle to it, and it knows I am here, you must make your decision. Live under the One of Flame with your kindred, or be scorched to death by sun and the might of Hell's fire."

There still was no reply. Angra Mainyu crossed the dunes in a ghastly way that made Rikku shiver. An emotionless face leered behind its dark partners, and she was immediately filled with a terror that she had never experienced before. Suddenly she heard a shrill whistle. She heard the squeak of Cactuars, a gasp from the voice, and a crystal begin to form around Angra Mainyu just as the sphere faded out.

"Darn! Just when it was getting good," Rikku said, trying to bring some comic relief into the situation. But she had no emotion in her voice.

"That was how the Cactuars sealed Angra Mainyu," Gippal explained.

"How do you know?" Rikku inquired.

"A friend told me," he replied flatly.

"A 'friend'?" she repeated. "What kind of friend?"

"A Cactuar, Rikku," Gippal said, and she was immediately relieved. The large doors into the chambers opened, illuminating the room. A small figure of a Cactuar appeared, then walked in and took a position next to Gippal. The Cactuar was noticeably different from its brethren, as Rikku could see that it was tiny.

"Rikku, meet my good friend Tihpi."

**====*====**

"What's the weather like down at the beach nowadays?" Lulu asked Wakka, tending to a gurgling Vidina. He was currently gripping Moogi so hard Lulu was afraid the Moogle's head was going to rip off.

"Oh, it's nice," Wakka replied. Lulu smiled.

"How are Leblanc and the meyvn?" she inquired. Wakka gave her a long look.

"Oh, they're fine," he said. "I haven't seen them in a while though. I heard they went to look for spheres or something."

"Spheres? Hunters these days, can't even take a break for a honeymoon," Lulu said, shaking her head. Vidina giggled, squeezing Moogi tighter.

"Things have been pretty peaceful ever since that attack on the beach," Wakka said. Lulu nodded. "You'd think they'd wanna stay put, ya?"

"It would appear not," Lulu said, and then walked outside. She saw thick dark clouds on the horizon as Wakka joined her side.

"It's going to rain," Wakka said flatly. Lulu turned to look at her husband, Vidina now sleeping while squeezing Moogi. A small drop of water landed on Lulu's face as she leaned over and kissed her husband on the neck. Wakka smiled.

**====*====**

"Finally, we're here," Tidus said, exasperated. They had reached the entrance to the stadium. Sweat was streaming down everyone's faces except for Meow's, who was now resting in Tidus's arms. Yuna stared ahead. She had long since withdrawn her hood. It was much too hot for that.

"I sense something hostile," Isaaru said. The two turned to look at the had-been summoner.

"What do you mean?" Yuna inquired.

"Spirits have returned," Kimahri said, shaking his head. "The dome now is unsafe. Fiends are everywhere."

"We've all ready established that," said a tired Tidus. Yuna smiled a bit, and then turned to him. The five walked up the pathway into the dome, and Yuna remembered how afraid she had felt entering it for the first time. She felt those exact same feelings.

The moment they entered the doors they shut and locked with an ominous boom. Yuna cringed and looked ahead. Spirits of people long since dead floated around, reliving memories trapped within the pyreflies which were swarming like flies to a carcass. In a way, that made sense.

Suddenly Yuna felt something she remembered from so long ago, and his face appeared in her head, eyes burning with chaotic delight. He smiled, and she felt fear rising in her heart.

"We have to get out!" she screamed just as he began to appear. She had summoned him with the pyreflies... Now he was coming back to life.

"Why hello, Lady Yuna," Seymour said, pyreflies floating around his body. "It appears that we meet again."

"Seymour?" shouted Tidus and Kimahri at once. The Maester took no notice. His eyes were fixated upon Yuna.

"Spira is a dark and confused world, trapped in an unending spiral of death," he explained. "I can't let you pass."

"Seymour, go away!" Yuna shouted. He did not notice this comment, either. Why had she summoned him? Oh no... Her thoughts would become reality in this dome.

"I can't do that. The fun has only just begun," he said with his horrible, unsent laugh. Yuna cringed and watched as pyreflies began to cluster and make her thoughts come to life. Braska, Jecht, and Auron appeared, talking to each other. Maester Mika appeared, waving to an invisible audience. She couldn't stop thinking about everything in her journey...

A large group of Crusaders and Al Bhed warriors appeared, readying battle cannons. Maester Kinoc began to dictate battle strategy to thin air. Swarms of Al Bheds from Home began to appear, as did a shrieking Evrae. Ronsos appeared by the dozen, to the amazement of Kimahri. Then all the commotion stopped as Yuna collapsed, one last thought escaping her mind.

She appeared, silver hair cascading behind her graceful frame. Her white robes were elegant upon her body as she floated in midair. Her hands were gloved in white, and six white, feathered wings outstretched from her back, glowing slightly with a ghastly blue hue. Her eyes were blood red. Her feet were dainty, outstretching from under her robes. She was different from her memory, but it was definitely her.

"Now that you've entered your own mind, how will you fare?" Lady Yunalesca asked. The Al Bheds and Crusaders began to disappear. Auron, Braska, and Jecht followed suit. All that was left were the three Maesters, the first summoner, and Evrae. "You might have summoned our memories, but we are far past anything you can imagine."

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted, helping the last summoner to her feet. "We have to fight!"


	10. No Pyreflies

WOOHOO! Snow day! **–does the happy dance- **HOORAY! Oops, never mind... Anyways, I hope you enjoy the latest update on Amour et Haine, and… **_I DON'T OWN SQUARE ENIX, FINAL FANTASY, OR FINAL FANTASY X-2_**! Okay, now on to the story!

**====*====**

"Tihpi... Where have I heard that name before? Oh well," Rikku said to herself as the trio – make that a foursome – glided over the dark dunes of the Bikanel Desert. Gippal needed to speak with Nhadala. Logos had been very drowsy ever since he fainted, but he was finally coming to again, to the dismay of Rikku. He wouldn't stop staring at her...

"Stop it!" she said, and hit him on the side of the head. Tihpi let out a few giggles in his own spooky Cactuar tone, and Rikku smiled a bit at the tiny Cactuar. He might have been small, but at least he had a sense of humor.

"Keep it down back there," said Gippal, who was directing the hover. He was the only one in the group with any past knowledge of piloting a hover, but he wasn't doing a very good job. Every few seconds a small bump would cause the hover to lift slightly into the air, making Rikku's stomach lurch. Logos's face did not change its stoical look, and Rikku looked away from the perverted Leblanc Syndicate member.

Suddenly Rikku heard a loud noise, a screeching, squeaking noise. She turned to look behind the hover where the noise had originated. Her heart nearly leapt out of her throat. "ZUUS!"

A large band of the enormous bird fiends was in close pursuit. Gippal let out a vexed sigh. "We must've gone into their territory," he said. "Zuus are the most protective fiends in the desert."

Rikku immediately Spherechanged into a Gun Mage, to Logos's delight. He merely brandished his twin pistols, ready to fire. Tihpi's small, strange mouth curved into a tiny grin as ebon needles gleamed upon his tiny fists. "Fend them off until I can stop this thing," Gippal shouted back. Rikku nodded and fired a blast from her gun.

One Zuu was stunned momentarily before lunging forward in attack. Tihpi growled as he unfurled a blast of black needles into the fiend's face, causing it to fly backwards and screech wildly. "This is not good," Logos said. "You just made the cuckoo berserk."

"Shut up!" Rikku said, and resisted hitting him over the head with her gun. She fired another blast into the chest of the Zuu, who lunged into the air in a swirling vacuum. Rikku gaped in awe as the Zuu went higher and higher, and then noticed something.

"It's coming down!" she shouted as the Zuu began to descend at an alarming rate, ready to hit the hover into a bunch of metal scraps. "It's a kamikaze Zuu!"

"Shut up," Logos said with a sneer before firing a couple rounds of bullets into the Zuu. "Turn left!" he barked to Gippal, who frowned as he obeyed the command. The Zuu, now enraged by the blast of needles and embedded with lead bullets, crashed into the sand just a few feet away from the hover. The rest of the Zuus were in close pursuit, however.

"Hurry up!" Rikku shouted edgily as another Zuu reared to attack. Before anyone could stop him, Tihpi flew like a rocket from the hover and landed on the Zuu's face. Both Rikku and Logos's eyes widened at the sight as Tihpi angrily thrust his fist into the confused creature's snapping jaws. The courageous cactus's eyes gleamed with fury as he unleashed his blast of needles directly into the Zuu's throat. It let out a horrified shriek as Tihpi acrobatically flipped back onto the hover. The Zuu shrieked wildly, its call like nails on a chalkboard as it plummeted to the earth, twisting and writhing madly on the ground like a wet snake. Finally it shrieked, expelled a puddle of blood from its throat, and collapsed and exploded into a cloud of pyreflies. Now there were two Zuus down, and only three to go.

"Good work, Tihpi," Rikku said with a smile, giving a high-five to the Cactuar. He grinned a bit before readying back to attack. Logos was refilling his pistols with deadly bullets. Rikku nodded and began to ready her own gun.

One Zuu was obviously different from the others. Rikku gave it a quizzical look. The unique Zuu had two long wisps of black feathers extending from near its bright blue eyes, which gave it an oddly different look then the other ones. Not only had this, but the tenebrous undersides of its wings glowed with a cerulean aura all though they otherwise resembled its comrades' wings.

"What the..." Rikku said, eyes widening. Logos turned to her.

"It's the Stratavis," Logos explained. "It's a holy Zuu that is only born a couple thousand years on Besaid Island. They are only female, as well."

Rikku nodded slowly and watched as the Stratavis let the two remaining Zuus get ahead of her. The first lunged at the hover, which was obviously not slowing down anytime soon. Rikku grunted and fired a blast from her gun, watching as it hit the bird in the neck. It dove downwards before gaining its balance and shooting forward over the hover, knocking Rikku and Logos onto the ground with a sonic blast.

Tihpi, unaffected by the attack, closed his eyes, which was a rare thing for Cactuars to do. Then he bared three long needles onto his left and right hands and leapt with a squeak onto the Zuu, slashing wildly and attempting to slash its throat. By this time Rikku and Logos were once again awake, and they saw the Cactuar on the Zuu's back.

"Be safe!" Rikku shouted. But Tihpi didn't hear her. The Cactuar was too preoccupied with attempting to slash the creature's throat, as he knew from experience that a Zuu's throat was their ultimate weak spot other than the undersides of their wings. That would be nearly impossible to get to, however.

Tihpi whirled under the thrashing Zuu, ready to stab six long needles into the creature's throat. However, the second Zuu noticed the Cactuar and came to his ally's rescue, clamping Tihpi in its massive jaws and throwing the Cactuar to the ground. The two Zuus then resumed their assault.

"Tihpi!" Rikku shouted, seeing the Cactuar in the sand. It reminded her of all those spheres... The Zuus began to whirl around the hover. "Come on, Logos! Hold him them off!"

"What? You expect me to handle two alone?" Logos questioned, but Rikku didn't reply. She was all ready dashing across the sands to the downed Cactuar, whom she immediately picked up. Tihpi let out a small squeak as the Stratavis neared the two, ready to grip two ravenous claws around the flesh of a human and a cactus.

Rikku dashed back, and the Stratavis nearly missed her. She then lunged at the back of the hover before scrambling on, releasing Tihpi. The Zuus were calming down, as Logos had used his famous Russian Roulette. Rikku resumed firing as Tihpi squealed in his seat, desperately trying to heal so he could help the kind girl and the strange man.

One Zuu lunged downwards, nearly hitting Rikku. She jumped back as Tihpi fired a needle directly into the creature's eye, causing a couple drops of blood to fly from it as it flew back, shrieking. Logos shot it in the throat and it exploded into a cloud of pyreflies. There was only the Stratavis and one Zuu left.

Rikku jumped onto the seat, watching as the second Zuu neared to unleash a sonic blast. That wouldn't happen. Logos and Rikku charged up and fired two shots that landed in both the creature's wings at the same time, causing it to instantaneously evanesce into a swarm of pyreflies. Only the holy Zuu was left.

The Stratavis zoomed forward, her movements like lightning. Rikku attempted to shoot her wing, but she winded up missing entirely. Logos attempted to shoot her as well but the Stratavis was much too quick. Instead, being wiser then her comrades, decided to prey upon the captain of the hover, Gippal.

"Stop it!" Gippal shouted, evading not only the hungry jaws of the Stratavis but a large dune. Rikku shot a sizzling blast and nearly missed it as it flew backwards and then turned to her, cerulean eyes pallid and at the same time gentle. Rikku was quite confused, but it mattered not. The Stratavis was trying to kill them.

"That's odd," Logos remarked as the Stratavis flew back. "Its eyes were a darker blue earlier."

"What does that mean?" Rikku asked.

"Well, discoloration of the iris can either mean two things: one, the creature is infected with disease, or two, the Stratavis is influenced by something... else," Logos said.

The Stratavis lunged again, nearly decapitating Rikku who almost leapt out of the hover. She countered with an angry blast from her gun which singed the backside of the creature's wings. The Stratavis shrieked, turning around and swiping the Al Bhed with two angry talons.

Tihpi looked up, seeing the underside of the creature's wing. He shot a flurry of needles almost immediately and watched as the Stratavis shrieked and flew backwards. Rikku took this chance to hit it in the throat, causing it to swoop down. Logos turned around from behind the hover and gasped.

"A cliff!" he shouted. Gippal, who all ready had noticed it, was attempting to turn: an excellent chance for the Stratavis to strike.

The Stratavis screamed, releasing its dying breaths as it unleashed the infamous Paean of the Heavens attack. The holy winds roared as they dug into the hover, lifting it off the ground and blowing it off the cliff. Rikku screamed, clutched Tihpi, and then grabbed onto something. Logos followed suit. Gippal was all ready gripping the steering wheel for dear life.

The Stratavis faded away, but no pyreflies came out. No one noticed this; however, as the hover was spinning wildly as it descended rapidly into the misty darkness that lurked below the cliff. Everyone was panicked. The mist whipped around the hover as it descended into inky darkness. Rikku let out a piercing scream as the hover hit solid rock.

**====*====**

Lady Yunalesca smiled, eyes agleam. Seymour, Mika, and Kinoc joined her in the air, as Evrae coiled around the four like a shield. "You have no escape," she said in her strange, unsent voice. Tidus growled.

"Leave her alone!" he shouted angrily, stepping forward. Isaaru and Kimahri, both shocked by Tidus's anger and the reappearance of five dead, stepped back a bit. However, Kimahri held his Spiritual Lance at the ready and the two rushed to Yuna, helping her to her feet.

Suddenly Yunalesca appeared again, this time translucent and in different clothing. It was not her, but a reenactment of past events. "Would you destroy Spira's hope?" she questioned before the apparition dissipated.

"Yes, I would," said Yuna, who was still quite drowsy with shock. "The Final Aeon is nothing but a false tradition that should be abandoned!"

"But your father," said Seymour.

"I'm not my father! And I don't compare myself to him... anymore..." Yuna said, then fell to her knees sobbing. She was in intense mental pain.

"Yuna!" Kimahri shouted, bending down with her and attempting to console her. Tidus's eyes became angry slits as Isaaru hastily joined his side.

"Stop it, Seymour!" Tidus shouted. Seymour merely laughed.

"How about I don't?" Seymour said. The dome began to darken considerably. The pyreflies around the five resurrected began to glow luminously.

Immediately the battle started. Isaaru looked worriedly at Tidus before looking ahead and drawing his staff, ready to cast White Magic and holy spells when needed. Seymour snapped his fingers as two Guados joined his side, ready to defend their master.

"Die, Seymour!" Tidus shouted, and in amazement watched as the dome began to shift and change. Kimahri, Yuna, Lady Yunalesca, Evrae, and the other two Maesters disappeared as the dome morphed into none other than the entrance to the Chamber of the Fayth in Macalania Temple!

"'To protect the summoner even at the cost of one's life.' The code of the guardian. How admirable," Seymour said. "Well, if you are offering your lives, I will have to take them."

Seymour folded his hands, unleashing two sharp shards of ice from beneath Isaaru and Tidus. Tidus lunged at Seymour angrily but only cut down a Guado instead, who exploded into pyreflies.

"This is just like when I fought you two years ago," Tidus said angrily. He looked back to see Yuna in summoner's robes, Kimahri, Wakka, Lulu, Auron, and Rikku. They were seemingly frozen in place. "This is your memory, isn't it?"

"Well, for a dream of the Fayth he sure is smart," Seymour said with chuckle. The remaining Guado made no change in his facial expression. Tidus's eyes once again became slits.

Isaaru raised his hands as a ring of holy orbs surrounded Seymour, then ascended back into the clouds and leaving the malicious Maester damaged in its wake. The Guado lunged at Isaaru, digging two angry claws into the former summoner's body. Isaaru landed on his feet.

"I've learned a few new tricks in the Farplane," Seymour said. "Like how to do this."

He raised his hands as sparkles of white light began to shine from his palms. Almost instantly two Flare spells spiraled from beneath the ground under Isaaru and Tidus.

"Why is Maester Seymour doing this?" Isaaru asked, but he didn't know why. He knew the Maester was dead, but to him the thought of Seymour being this insane was unthinkable. Unless what happened was word for word from the account of Lady Yuna...

"Seymour's a madman, Isaaru!" Tidus shouted back, lunging at Seymour and slashing the half-blood across the face with his glistening Caladbolg. The blow hit the other Guado instead and the unsent creature exploded instantly into pyreflies. Only Seymour was left.

Seymour cackled, raised his hands, and then unleashed a double-hitting Flare again, causing Tidus plummeting to the ground. Isaaru let out a gasp and fell to the ground, the white-hot pain too much to bear. "Isaaru!" Tidus shouted, lunging at Seymour. It was the Maester versus the Blitzer now.

"You are a fool, having such emotions," Seymour said. "You loved Yuna and couldn't bear to see her fragile body disposed of like a useless doll after the Final Aeon would thrash her into pieces. So you set out to save her and landed us all into the Farplane."

"What are you getting at?" Tidus angrily questioned.

"I envied you because of the passion you wielded through not only your heart but your blade. I never had any emotions ever since she left..." Seymour said. "Mother became a Fayth when I was but a child. Immediately the entrance to the Chamber of the Fayth faded into that of a regal room, where a beautiful woman and a small Seymour stood.

"But Mommy, I don't want you to become a Fayth!" he shouted. Tidus couldn't hear the rest amidst his own raging emotions. What the heck was Seymour trying to do? Was he trying to get him to feel pity? That would be the last thing he would feel against such a ruthless... creature.

The scene faded, and Tidus remembered. This was all based on Seymour's memory now. That is how they were transported to the scene. But he didn't care. He lunged angrily, Caladbolg in hand. He stabbed him straight through the stomach, and Seymour let out a gasp. "Lady Yunalesca, I have failed you... Mother..." he said as he faded away. No pyreflies came, and Tidus found himself back in the Zanarkand dome. Yunalesca was just as ready to battle as ever, but not so quickly.

"Kinoc, Mika, rip this dream limb from limb!" she commanded as two emotionless Maesters descended to the ground. Immediately the ground faded to the exact place where Yuna had been taken to be wed. It was really the only place Tidus could remember where both of them had been. An emotionless Yuna stood in the background, frighteningly staring at a petrified Seymour. Monks lined the walls like statues. Behind him he saw the others other than Yuna. And the airship was flying overhead, frozen in place.

Neither Mika nor Kinoc said anything. They merely drew two guns, aimed, and blasted two holes straight through Tidus's stomach. With a loud gasp, he fell to the ground. Nothing happened. Blood did not pour from the wound, nor did he feel any pain. He only felt shock, and a strange emotion of sorrow and rage.

"What the..." he said, standing up. The two Maesters merely stared at him, looks emotionless.

"The Farplane must've changed them... A lot," Tidus said to himself. "But still, I need to fight them."  
  


Tidus lunged at Kinoc, slashing his Caladbolg straight across the Maester's stomach. He countered with a blast from his gun, knocking Tidus to the ground. Something wasn't right here...

"Maybe if two people share the memory, time stops?" Tidus asked himself. He was feeling rather lonely amidst his rage in this place, as no one was speaking and the only noise was his sword and their guns, not to mention his own voice.

Mika raised his hands, unleashed Flare, and then lowered them. Tidus flew backwards, and suddenly he began to feel pain. Suddenly he noticed why he hadn't been feeling anything. "I'm… dead?"  
  


**====*====**

"Stop it!" Yuna shouted. Kimahri and a recently revived Isaaru stood next to her. Yunalesca merely laughed as Evrae spiraled around her. She was watching everything that was happening to Tidus and the Maesters in a sphere that Yunalesca had created.

"Hope," was all Yunalesca said. "It is what unites Spira in hopes of ending Sin. However, such a fantasy is nothing more than a mere dream, just like your boyfriend."

"Shut up!" Yuna shouted angrily, ready to bludgeon the first summoner. She knew she wouldn't cause any damage, but she was still too angry for words. "Sin is gone!"

"Oh, but at that you are wrong," Yunalesca said. "You began your pilgrimage to stop him, did you not?"

"Yes," Yuna replied. "But I defeated him without the Final Aeon!"

"Without the Final Aeon? Such a thing is impossible," Yunalesca said. "Yu Yevon is the strongest summoner. He cannot be beat without the Final Aeon before he becomes clad in souls once more."

"She is not with knowledge of current events," Kimahri said. "She is reliving memories. Look around."

Yuna saw that she was no longer in the center of the dome, but in the seemingly infinite room they had faced Lady Yunalesca in for the first time. She remembered all of the traitorous emotions she had felt here for the first time, and how she wanted to give up... Hope. That was what kept her going and that she could get out of here and defeat Sin. Not the false hope that Yunalesca and all those after her projected. But hope that Sin would be gone: forever.

Evrae spiraled around Lady Yunalesca. "You would destroy Spira's hope? Fine then, begone!" she shouted. It was then that Yuna noticed that Lady Yunalesca was beginning to shine with pure white light. Evrae did so as well, and suddenly Yuna found herself in the battle she had participated in to destroy the first summoner. Lulu, Wakka, Auron, Tidus, and Rikku stood behind her, but Isaaru was at her right and Kimahri stood beside her.

Evrae's figure began to slowly dissipate as Yunalesca's began to enlarge. Suddenly she noticed something dreadful, and her heart was made cold at the realization. "They... They're becoming one!"

Suddenly a piercing shriek shattered the dreadful suspense. A beautiful silver wyrm with pure white wings floated before them, locks of white hair coming from atop its head like a feminine mane. Yunalesca's eyes glared from the creature's face, but the body was obviously dominantly Evrae's.

"What in the world?" Isaaru said aloud, and then scanned the newly formed fiend. He came back with scant information.

"It says that its name is Yu Rae," he said. "But I couldn't figure out anything else." Yuna nodded.

"This only means one thing! We fight for Spira!" she said. Kimahri and Isaaru nodded as Yu Rae shrieked in delight.

**====*====**

"Paine!" Baralai shouted. Paine had just collapsed to her knees, clutching her head. "What happened?"  
  


"Yuna..." was all she said before she bent back in mental agony, unconscious. The puzzled praetor raised his hands and a beam of light fell upon Paine's face. Nothing happened.

"Thank..." Baralai said, stopping himself mid-sentence. He was about to say Yevon. He never wanted to say that word alone ever again. "She's not to the point of death."

Baralai kneeled by her side, checking her breathing and pulse. They still were going smoothly, all though her breathing was a little slow. As long as she was alive, he was fine.


	11. Awakening

Ugh! So sorry for the delay... I was loaded with homework everyday this week so I didn't have a chance to get on and progress with the latest section! Not only this, but I was diagnosed with a horrible disease I know as writer's block... Anyways, thanks for sticking in this long and I hope you enjoy the latest section! Also, for copyright information, see entries 1-10.

**====*====**

"Paine?" Baralai asked as the gray-haired warrior awoke. The praetor's kind eyes gazed down upon the girl he had known for what seemed like an eternity. She was soaked with sweat after the horrible nightmares she had unconsciously. It had been hours since she passed out.

"Baralai?" Paine asked feebly, getting up. She felt shaky. Baralai had made a temporary "camp", if you could call it that. A small pot was cooking over a magical flame, and it smelled quite delicious.

"Yes, it's me," Baralai said with a grin. "You passed out a couple hours ago."

"A couple hours?" Paine said, hopping to her feet. Her eyes were now full of anxiety. Baralai rose with her. "Oh no..."

"What's wrong?" Baralai asked, concerned.

Paine turned to him, eyes beginning to dim. "Yuna... I saw her in my dream. She was... being tormented by Lady Yunalesca, and... Rikku, she was going down..."

"What?" Baralai asked aloud, confused by Paine's statements. "How could you see these things? They're both far away, and you were unconscious..."

"That's something only you and I know, Baralai," Paine said rather flatly. Baralai turned to her. "I've been able to see things through my thoughts and dreams happening to the people I admire. When you were possessed by Shuyin... When Nooj shot us... And now once again with both Rikku and Yuna. You could call me clairvoyant."

Baralai's eyes widened at this comment. "A... clairvoyant?" he said aloud. Paine nodded slowly. "I would've never known... You are pretty silent with things like that, Paine."

Neither talked for at least a minute. Then Baralai turned to the pot. "I... I made some soup," he said sheepishly. "I thought you'd be hungry when you woke up."

Paine nodded slightly, and Baralai brought out two titanium bowls with two rather bent metal spoons and began to pour the steamy broth into each bowl. He put more of the soup into Paine's bowl than he did into his.

**====*====**

Rikku was running. Her thoughts raced past her. Cid, Gippal, Brother, Buddy, Shinra, Nhadala... And him. Oh no... Why was she seeing him? He was gone... But she remembered him anyways. Gippal had been the first boyfriend and he the second until he left to the Farplane. She remembered Keyakku.

She remembered herself as a little girl and how Cid disciplined her so much on how she needed to grow up, which she never really did. She remembered how she had gone out with Gippal for a year or so until he became more interested with his work than with her. They split up quickly after that, and she was once again single and Gippal was regretting his decision. He excelled at business, to an extent that he didn't need to put as much fervor as he did into the job. Now she wasn't his to call a girlfriend anymore. She didn't really care about Gippal anymore, but Keyakku seemed to be interested in her. They became boyfriend and girlfriend but then the Guado...

Rikku pushed back the thoughts, and how Gippal was coming back to her. Keyakku would've wanted it this way if he could've told her from the Farplane, a place she had agreed so long ago to keep away from. She never wanted to remember the death of her mother.

Amidst her thoughts she saw starry Bikanel nights and rosy mornings, scorching suns and icy moons. She seemed to be gliding through her past, soon to the present. She saw herself shooting Zuus from the back of the hover and then plummeting into darkness, and suddenly she opened her eyes, dispelling the recollection of thoughts. Pain was the first thing she felt.

She looked around, but couldn't see much except that a large spike of metal from the hover was digging into her leg. She let out a shrill scream at the sensation and couldn't resist crying. The pain was horrible...

"Gippal! Logos! Anybody!" she screamed amidst tears and pain. "Please, I'm stuck! HELP!"

The valley in which she had landed merely echoed back her voice, and she began to cry. But suddenly she felt something moving, lodged under her leg. Her heart leapt at the small squeak she remembered! It was Tihpi!  
  


"Tihpi, help, please," Rikku moaned, and the little Cactuar stood up, shadows cast upon his miniscule frame. He nodded quickly before fervently beginning to pull back the spike of metal. With a wince and a loud shriek the spike was removed and blunted by his masterful hands.

Rikku limped out of the wreckage of the hover, which looked as if it had been avalanched upon by a mountain's worth of rocks. Jagged spikes of metal stuck out in every which way, and the creak of the mangled propeller was not at all soothing.

Rikku collapsed upon the ground, which to her surprise was rather moist. It was only seconds before she found out that the ground was covered with at least an inch of warm water. "Where are we?" she said exhaustedly. Water in the desert? Something wasn't right, unless this was...

"We're in the Bikanel Abyss," said a raspy voice, which she recognized as Gippal. "The pit stop for lost souls of the desert to stay before making their journey to the Farplane."

"Gippal!" Rikku shouted, but she couldn't sense where his voice was coming from. Suddenly a light broke into her vision... It was a lantern, held by the leader of the Machine Faction. The pale yellow glow illuminated Rikku's face and cast an eerie glow upon Gippal's. Tihpi broke the temporary silence with a squeak, jumping onto Rikku's shoulder and giggling nervously.

"You saved his life, Rikku," Gippal said heartily. "If you hadn't thrown him down, he would've flown onto a metal spike. Instead, he was protected by your leg."

"How do you know?" Rikku said, cocking her head slightly. Her former boyfriend just laughed.

"Because I do," he commented. "Logos is over there, sleeping. He took a nasty fall and broke his arm and leg along with dislocating his left shoulder. Nothing I couldn't fix up too quickly, though." The silence returned, only slightly broken by the soft breathing of a slumbering Logos.

"What are we going to do?" Rikku asked. To this question Gippal's face paled.

"I don't know," he said with a sigh.

**====*====**

"Ormi, throw me a grenade, quick!" Maroda shouted as another batch of fiends began to attack. They had appeared from seemingly nowhere in just seconds. All ready one had destroyed the walkie-talkie, leaving only their shouts and cries audible for Baralai and Paine. However, the neglecting couple had turned their walkie-talkie off.

Ormi did so, being careful not to set it off. A lizard leapt and blew into pyreflies at Maroda's bomb. Meanwhile a sweating Ormi bludgeoned another set of fiends over with his shield.

"They keep coming!" Maroda shouted, whacking a Bicocette fruitlessly with a fighting stick. Ormi didn't reply, he only kept twirling his shield. Both of the two defenders were sweating profusely at the sudden gain in work.

Finally, Maroda hit the Bicocette down into the pit where it shattered into pyreflies. There was an odd silence. "Thank Spira that's over," Maroda said, panting. Suddenly he heard something. It was the sound of quickly whipping air.

"What in the world..." Ormi asked aloud as three sets of luminous yellow eyes pierced the darkness. Suddenly the energy became tense as the figure entered the light. 

Two enormous tusk-like limbs arched from under its body, and the limbs obviously had lives of their own. They appeared to be two dark-skinned women without legs, as the lower halves of their body were connected to the main body. Azure locks of hair cascaded down from their dark faces, only illuminated by their luminous yellow eyes. They both had sapphire claws for hands, but the first's fingers were much daintier while the second's fingers were much bulkier and sharper. They were slightly hideous and slightly beautiful all at once. They connected back to a strange figure, which seemed to be a dark woman surrounded by dark-scaled flesh. Silver locks of hair spread past her face surrounded by the flesh, and her eyes were luminous.

"Holy shit!" Maroda said a stream of jet-black flame whirled from the creature like a river, sapping all their energy and sending them plummeting lifelessly to the bottom of the hole they had fought so fervently to protect. He screamed loudly as Ormi plummeted noiselessly, hitting the ground hard. He didn't know that Paine and Baralai were listening in on the entire ordeal. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

**====*====**

"Holy shit!" cried Maroda's raspy voice over the walkie-talkie, which Baralai and Paine had decided to turn on for no apparent reason. The walkie-talkie went off, but before that was a cold voice that made Paine and Baralai's blood run cold. It sounded like fire, and it said. "Angra Shaoku has awoken."

"That sounds familiar..." Baralai said. Paine's eyes were wide.

"Angra Mainyu... Angra Shaoku..." she repeated. "They both begin with Angra. Does that mean that they are...?"  
  


"I think so," said Baralai. "I think they're two of the Five."

**====*====**

"Wow... What is that light?" Rikku said, pointing ahead. Tihpi was still sitting on her shoulder, Gippal not too far behind. Logos walked next to Gippal, still slightly drowsy. They had reached a valley of sorts, and she could feel strange warmth in the air.

"It looks so beautiful," Logos said, sounding drunk. Gippal snorted. Tihpi didn't budge.

The light was just a few feet ahead of them now. The warmth was now intensifying with each step, and perspiration streamed down her face. She felt intense heat against her feet, and looked down to see that the water was... boiling?  
  


"This is pretty hot..." Logos commented, wiping his brow. The light was now just a foot in front of Rikku, the most prominent of the foursome. Tihpi didn't budge as six orange eyes illuminated above the light, which Rikku could see was a ball of glistening fire. Her spiraled jade eyes met the center set of eyes, and her blood ran cold. Could it be... Angra Mainyu?  
  


A low voice rang out, as hot and harsh as the fires of hell. "No longer Angra Mainyu... Now Mainyu Altana has come for vengeance."

**====*====**

"Flare!" Yuna shouted as a spiral of white flame shot from beneath Yu Rae. It screeched horribly, and then unleashed a powerful counter that was Evrae's Swooping Scythe attack. It was a mixture of both of villains... No, make that the villainess and villain.

"Isaaru, Kimahri, now!" Yuna shouted as two Holy spells hit Yu Rae at once, causing tremendous damage. The Yu Rae shrieked, lashing at all three with angry claws. Yuna fell to the ground. This was too hard... But she had to persevere, for his sake.

The battle roared on, spells and attacks flying every which way. Yu Rae did not falter with a steady stream of powerful attacks each crippling. But Yuna stayed unflagging in her fervor to defeat Yu Rae, to the half-woman half-dragon's annoyance. This girl was a bug, one that needed to be taken out immediately.

Yu Rae's eyes gazed down upon Yuna, filling with malice. "Little girl... Join your boyfriend, shall you?" she shrieked. Yuna had no time to speak or move before she was enveloped in blue light and dissipated from thin air, to the horror of Kimahri and Isaaru.

Yuna felt herself being lifted up and landing down right next to Tidus, who was hammering away at the two Maesters. Neither side was faltering. Tidus slashed and hacked, but left only bloodless cuts. The two Maesters fired faithfully, never killing anything.

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted. Feeling was beginning to grow within him, but it kept fading. At sight of Yuna, the feeling began to stay for once. Yuna's warm eyes filled with love as she hugged Tidus, pressing her hooded face against his chest.

"Where are we?" she asked suddenly.

"We are in some sort of dream..." Tidus said thoughtfully. "But nothing seems to be happening."

"Dreams are dreams, fool," said Maester Kinoc. Tidus's eyes grew wide. The Maester had spoken!  
  


"What?" Yuna asked.

"Dreams within dreams are not reality. Resurrected within dreams is not reality. However, life within dreams... They are real," Maester Mika said slowly and painfully before drawing his gun and firing a single shot. The bullet flew as quickly as lightning, and before Tidus could do anything it embedded itself into Yuna's side. She fell lifelessly to the ground, eyes wide.

"Yuna?" Tidus asked, bending over and feeling her pulse. There was none. Her breathing had stopped... No... No. This couldn't be happening!

"NO!" Tidus shouted as pyreflies began to shoot into him as if he were draining them from the air. Suddenly he felt differently. Feeling began to well up within him as the feeling of being a dream lessened. He felt just like he did when he exited his house back in Zanarkand so long ago. "YUNA!" he shouted, thrusting his Caladbolg into Mika's chest. Blood rushed from the wound and Mika exploded into pyreflies. A stoical Kinoc soon fell as well.

**====*====**

"A dream?" Yu Rae asked aloud. Kimahri was busy spearing its tail with his spear while Isaaru was praying, wishing for another Holy spell. This comment made both the attackers stop.

"He... He has broken the bonds between a dream and reality. He has chosen his fate," Yu Rae said. "She is leaving this world, though."

**====*====**

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted, bending at the dying summoner's side. Suddenly he felt something roll from Yuna's hand. It was a beautiful blue Dressphere that seemed to ring with music and was filled with musical notes and ancient beauty. It began to sparkle as Yuna began to glow. She was Spherechanging? 

A glistening white figure of a woman with long hair and a man that bore a resemblance similar to Tidus appeared before fading into pyreflies which streamed into Yuna. She hadn't Spherechanged after all... This was perplexing to Tidus. What had just happened?  
  
Yuna's eyes fluttered for a moment as her heart began to pump and her breathing once again began to start. "Yuna!" Tidus shouted joyously, kissing Yuna tenderly on the lips. Yuna wrapped her arms around his neck as they began to kiss and embrace. Suddenly they both began to glow as the scene faded away. They were now facing a furious Yu Rae.

"NO!" she shrieked. "Dreams are dreams!"

"Shut up," Kimahri said before driving his spear into the creature. Yu Rae screamed before writhing into a cloud of pyreflies. A beautiful, glistening sphere dropped from the aftermath and landed upon the ground with a ring.

**====*====**

"Caluht cbrana yhymocec uv dra Drihtan Bmyehc ihtanfyo (Second sphere analysis of the Thunder Plains underway)," said the technician, busily pressing a few buttons. A small radar screen began to bleep as it checked the lifeless plains for spheres.

Suddenly it began to beep wildly. "Dryd'c hu cbrana... Dryd'c y veaht! (That's no sphere… That's a fiend!)" he shouted. Suddenly he looked up.

"Angra Tuiyi," a cold, merciless voice as raspy as thunder said as a sphere of white lightning lifted the technician off his feet and began to shock him mercilessly with volts. The dead technician hit the ground hard.

"Finally, the Thunder Plains is mine," Angra Tuiyi murmured viciously as the Al Bhed dissipated into a swarm of pyreflies.

**====*====**

"This rock sure is odd," Leblanc said, climbing edgily onto its peak. She could see the foaming sea below. Nooj stood beside her, hand upon her shoulder.

"Why is it so foamy? It's so damp," Leblanc said. Nooj looked down, speculating the situation.

"I... I don't know," he said as the waters began to churn.

"Could it be... the sphere?" she asked aloud. The clouds began to darken and the sun was soon covered.

"Watch out!"


	12. The Great Haboob

Hey, it's me, Famfrit! Sorry for the delay, my teachers are merciless, especially algebra (I am NEVER going to use linear equations EVER) and I hope this new addition will be just as good as my previous ones, if not better. My writer's block is fading away now, so please excuse me for the end of last addition... Anyways, copyright information (I'm sure there are plenty of readers eager to sue me) are located throughout chapters 1-10. Anyways, enjoy!

- - - - - - - - - - -

"Angra Shaoku and Angra Mainyu equal two, right? Then that means there are three others. We've found the ones in Bevelle and Bikanel, so that means the ones of Zanarkand, the Thunder Plains, and whatever the final place is are still left," Baralai commented as the two rushed down the hallway, running as quickly as they could to get to Maroda and Ormi.

"Yes," Paine said quickly. "The One of Fire is Angra Mainyu, but what is Angra Shaoku?"

"Well, it is awfully cold down here in the Labyrinth," Baralai said, thinking briskly. "Maybe Angra Shaoku is an ice-based fiend?"

"Who knows," Paine said, leaping nimbly over a precarious ledge. Finally they found themselves gliding up the chain, almost to the place where the fayth of Bahamut had rested for so many years.

Maroda was out of breath, and wasn't breathing very quickly. Paine crouched by him, feeling his faint pulse. He groaned a bit at her touch, but soon quieted down. It was too painful to groan anymore. Dark marks lined his wounds as if he had been tattooed, which perplexed Paine. What were these strange markings? To her horror, she found out that they were burns.

Ormi had fallen on his shield, which protected him from most of the impact but gave him a nice whack in the head. Ormi was out cold, a large purple bruise throbbing on his forehead. The odd marks lined his bare skin as well, and Baralai smoothed them out with a potion before turning to Paine.

"They've fallen a long way," she commented, and then realized something horrifying. "Where the hell is Angra Shaoku?"

Baralai, stricken with terror, looked up. Angra Shaoku was not there. Where could something as large as it hide? He found out the answer when the presence of Angra Shaoku began to form just behind him, a presence as cold as liquid nitrogen and just as fluid. Paine grabbed Baralai's hand and looked around, staring on Angra Shaoku who had somehow appeared right behind them. They took in every detail, ingraining it into their memory. It was obviously female, if you could give it a gender.

"Hello fools. Why do you enter the Domain of Ice?" she asked, her voice just as chilling as her presence. Her two tusk-like limbs didn't move: they only let their frosty locks wave in the wind.

"Domain of Ice?" Baralai asked. Angra Shaoku was not amused by this comment.

"There is a Domain for each of the Five," Shaoku said. "This is my Domain, the Domain of Ice. Why do you seek the spheres held within it?"

"Spira's past," Baralai said shakily. "That is what New Yevon does."

Paine fired him a fierce glare. Why was he spilling this out to this... thing? It obviously didn't care.

"No matter, foolish boy. You and your friend must be eliminated from existence." At that instance her two icy limbs sprung to life, adding high-pitched giggles to the subzero cackle of Angra Shaoku. "Millith and Lilith, we must fight these petty mortals!"

Millith, the one with the sharper, bulkier fingers, began to glitter. Lilith, the one with dainty fingers, began to glitter as well. Angra Shaoku began to glisten with the same light. To Paine's horror, she realized they were all casting spells.

"Baralai!" she shouted. "We need to fight them off!"

- - - - - - - - - - -

Mainyu Altana began to cackle hideously, and suddenly Rikku was reminded of the haunting image of Maester Seymour. She pictured him in the place of this hideous creature, laughing his echoing, unsent laugh. He stood there, cackling, mocking... "STOP IT!"

Logos, Gippal, and Tihpi all looked down at Rikku, surprised by her strange outburst. In rare situations like these, Gippal noted to himself, Rikku must take things in a more serious approach. Mainyu Altana stopped laughing as his limbs sprung to life. "Come, my unsent allies, Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana!"

Tihpi leapt off Rikku's shoulder, sensing danger in the air. Gippal withdrew his large gun, fully loading it with powerful capsules. Rikku brandished her Alchemist's gun carefully as she instantly Spherechanged. In a snap, Logos loaded both pistols and held them at the ready.

"Taking a hostile approach, I see," Mainyu Altana snarled. "Just like last time. But this time you won't be so lucky."

Tawrich Altana inhaled deeply, and then released a foul, thick breath upon the area, his famed Bloody Breath attack. Rikku began racking her mind for the formula to make a Panacea while Zarich Altana snapped its undead fingers, causing the infamous Glimmer of Despair attack to be unleashed into the air, leaving the party to feel jumbled and magic-deprived. Gippal fired his lethal Mortar attack, incinerating Zarich Altana and Tawrich Altana. The two became lifeless, but didn't fade away. Tihpi readied a flurry of needles when Mainyu Altana decided it was time to let them taste Perdition's Flame.

Rikku felt the white-hot evil sear her very skin, causing her to fly onto the ground, coughing and sputtering as sandy water splashed everywhere, sizzling in the intense heat. Gippal watched as his gun flew from his grasps, landing five feet behind him. Logos wisely sheathed his pistols as he was knocked into the ground. He got up quickly after, helping Gippal to his feet. Tihpi had somehow kept on his feet the entire time, and it was about a minute before Rikku realized the Cactuar hadn't even suffered any damage from the attack.

"What the..." she muttered as Tihpi giggled his spooky laugh. Then formed a long golden needle on one hand and watched it fly at Mainyu Altana. Immediately the unsent creature countered with not an attack, but instead began to shake as he gripped the sandy earth. Suddenly a stream of black threads shot from the ground, clinging onto Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana before instantly fading. The two limbs immediately came back to life.

"Just like an eternity taught us, my comrades," Mainyu Altana bellowed as his undead limbs began to sparkle at once. Logos fired a round of powerful bullets, each one embedding themselves into pyrefly-deprived flesh. Suddenly the two unsent limbs attacked at once. Tawrich Altana darkened the air around the arena while Zarich Altana lifted them into the air. Rikku, now edgy, began to squirm as she felt her legs raise above the earth. Even Tihpi rose into the air, followed by Gippal and Logos, both of which were trying to keep still. There was no light beyond the limbs, but somehow Rikku could see herself and Gippal, Tihpi, and Logos. Grisly stars began to twinkle in the distance as energy began to fly around in dark wisps around each person, conjured by both Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana. Rikku felt pyreflies float away from within her soul, and suddenly she lost consciousness.

Keyakku stood there, smiling at her. She ran to him, ready to hug and embrace. But she grasped thin air as a figure of... no, she couldn't be here! Rikku watched in awe and sorrow as her mother appeared, smiling. Rikku remembered her mother vividly. She remembered when her mother would bake hot cookies at Home and how she would read tales of powerful fiends and even stronger heroes when Rikku and Brother readied for bed. She remembered how her mother loved Cid so dearly. And then she remembered how she had gone with the others into the desert. Lost upon her way, she died from dehydration. Cid almost entirely missed her thirsted body two days after her death, and when he did he ripped the fiends off of his wife's corpse and brought her home, eyes blank. Rikku remembered seeing her mother, so limp and peaceful. And then she swore to never go anywhere to remind her of the tragedies that befell her mother, especially the Farplane.

"Mommy?" she called out. Her mother smiled. "Mommy!" she shouted, leapt at her mother and then grasped thin air once again. Countless friends slaughtered by the Guado then began to flock around her by the hundreds. Why was she seeing all of this? Suddenly she remembered the pyreflies leaving her skin like steam curling from boiling water. Was she... dead? No... She felt herself living. But how could she see all these dead... It hit her like lightning. This was the Bikanel Abyss, the pit stop for spirits on the way to the Farplane. Maybe it wasn't a pit stop, but in fact linked to the Farplane? She felt the same essence she had when they had so boldly slain Vegnagun. Suddenly everyone faded. She saw Keyakku's face one last time, then her mother's, before she felt wet ground and darkness.

Rikku fell to the ground first, pyreflies still streaming from her body. Gippal soon followed suit, pyreflies curling away from an all ready worn body. Logos hit last, pyreflies swirling from his mind of mingled sorrow and pleasure. Tihpi never hit the ground. He simply floated down like a feather back onto the ground.

"You dare challenge me, Tihpi?" Mainyu Altana boomed, voice as bold and strong as lightning. Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana began to chuckle, shoulders rocking with laughter. "Where do you expect to get, farther than your ancestors?"

Tihpi made three loud squeaks. Mainyu Altana burst out into dark laughter. "Savior or not, Tihpi, you will not defeat me. What are you going to do, gore me to death with your blunt needles?"

Tihpi made one soft squeak, followed by a quick fit of his spooky laughter. The three undead entities fell silent, eyes fixated upon the Cactuar who dared laugh at the might of not just Angra Mainyu, but his dead version!

"You can't even touch me, puny Cactuar. Not after I gored your mother, and your father, and all your squeaky, bratty little brothers and sisters," he belted out, this time much more serious. "I squashed them like bugs. Oh, you should have heard them squeal and scream... just like little mice."

Tihpi felt anger rush into his mind, but did not succumb to it... not yet. There was a time for all things, just like his grandmother Marnela used to say. He did not speak at all, though. Mainyu Altana began to resume his taunting of the helpless cactus.

"Yes, you may be the only Cactuar with the blood of Haboob," he snarled, "but you are definitely not him. He might've sealed me but in the end it was only because he knew I could destroy him and his puny, insignificant race."

Tihpi felt his phloem and xylem begin to boil. No one would dare disrespect the Great Haboob, hero of the sands. He was his heir, and that was a name to live up to. Only he could wield the power of the Bikanel Winds, now that Haboob was gone. Haboob, his great-grandfather, the one who had chosen millennia in advance who would be destined as the Savior of the Cactuars of their time. Haboob had been the first. Marnela had been second, and he, Tihpi, had been third. No one would dare speak about the Great Haboob that way!

Tihpi let out a few angry squeaks, venting his anger. He hadn't reached his peak: not yet. He would let his anger reach its peak before he unleashed. Mainyu Altana saw anger fill him, but still dared to taunt the tiny creature as if it were his prey. "Oh, but none of them were as feeble as your grandmother, the 'wise' Marnela," he snarled. There was much satirical emphasis on 'Wise'. "She was 'wise'? Hah! More like the 'stupid' Marnela. Sacrificing herself just to keep those basilisks at bay... And what did she spawn? A pest like you!"

The comment on Marnela caused Tihpi to begin to writhe with anger, a display which made even Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana back off a little. Mainyu Altana nearly watched in sick delight as the Cactuar squirmed like a wet earthworm. Tihpi felt his xylem and phloem get as hot as the baking Bikanel sun. He looked to the kind lady, Gippal, and the strange man. They had died defended not only themselves, but... him.

"Puny Tihpi," Mainyu Altana said with a cackle. "You can't even vent your anger correctly." With that, he unleashed Flare upon the spastic cactus, causing Tihpi to dry out. He felt his skin bake and his eyes fill with water as needles melted. Before Tihpi could recover, Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana had lifted two large boulders from the nearby cliff and thrown them on top.

"That will take care of him, for now," Mainyu Altana sneered. "We must now join Shaoku, Tuiyi..." He would've said the names of the One of Water and the One of Darkness, but he was distracted by the shaking of the boulders that were supposed to have entombed Tihpi. Light began to spill from between the cracks of the boulders... Oh no. No, now he was becoming...

Tihpi broke loose of all the boulders, his new coat of glistening gold shining like a candle in darkness. Mainyu Altana, Tawrich Altana, and Zarich Altana all turned and looked in horror at Tihpi, who was now fully gripping his powers as the Savior of the Cactuars: the Golden Cactuar. His needles became gold and his eyes filled with a cerulean light that Mainyu Altana knew would never be quenched until evil was destroyed. When he looked into Tihpi's eyes, he didn't see Tihpi. He saw a foe he thought had died long ago: the Great Haboob.

- - - - - - - - - - -****

The dome began to fill with light as the sphere hit the ground. Yu Rae was gone, the Maesters were gone, and the dome was finally silent. This was the sphere they were looking for, the sphere that was the hub of all the chaos. Isaaru, Kimahri, and Tidus watched as Yuna walked out and grasped it. The sphere was as brilliant and round as a pearl, but as cold as ice. Yuna then pulled it to her eye to view.

"Father, what are you doing?" said a young girl, obviously in her teens, dressed in a strange white gown that was lined with white feathers. It reminded Yuna of her dreadful wedding gown. The girl's snow-white locks touched the ground, and her eyes were a soft, beautiful cerulean hue. Yuna presumed the 'Father' she was referring to was a tall, dark man who wore beautiful white robes embroidered with light, glowing lavender. She couldn't see his face or front. This sphere was old... very old.

"How many times have I told you to not disturb me while I am reading?" the man snapped rather bitterly. The girl cowered a bit.

"I'm sorry, Papa," she said, and then turned around and walked out the door, wiping tears that were streaming down her face. Yuna figured that the girl's father was obviously an unfriendly man, but was still miffed about the identities of them. Who were they?

The girl walked outside into a dark city full of lights, beautiful arches of water raising from the ground and towering skyscrapers lining every available place. The house the girl had exited was a beautiful dome-shaped house made of a dark material with bright gold windows just like all the other buildings. However, hers had beautiful gardens surrounding the entrance, which added an odd touch.

"Zanarkand?" Tidus asked aloud as he watched the sphere, confirming Yuna's suspicions. Kimahri and Isaaru watched on quite fascinated. Beautiful butterflies of every color floating around the flowers that the girl walked past, and seemed to follow her. Yuna then saw a handsome young man enter the scene with dark, spiky hair. He looked like he was a Blitzer and maybe something... else?

The girl ran out to him. "I'm so glad you're back," she said, laying her head against his chest as he stroked her long hair, kissing her neck tenderly. The white-haired girl and the dark-haired boy were obviously in love... Yuna shockingly realized their identities as the man said the next line.

"Don't worry, Yunalesca, everything will be all right," he said. Yunalesca, obviously much younger than her spooky but otherwise beautiful phantasm, was crying.

"Oh Zaon," she wept, "He'll never give you his blessing ever. He's just so concerned with his stupid studies to care about me or anything about me. Ever since Mother..."

"Yunalesca, calm down," he said, stroking her head and kissing it lovingly. "I'll get his blessing, I assure you. Don't worry, everything will be okay." Yunalesca got up, and then turned to Zaon, kissing him tenderly upon the lips for at least a minute. Isaaru couldn't keep from snickering.

"I was so afraid you wouldn't return from the battle," Yunalesca said finally after their lips parted. "Everyone was telling me about how deadly those Bevelle soldiers are."

"Nothing your Zaon couldn't slay," Zaon said with a smile. Yunalesca kissed him again.

"They sure do like to kiss, don't they?" Isaaru pointed out with a sheepish grin. Kimahri gave him a ferocious stare.

The two headed inside the house and finally back to the door that Yunalesca had first exited. "Zaon..." Yunalesca murmured, and they kissed one last time before he entered the door. The sphere faded for a moment before turning on inside the room.

"Please, let me have your blessing so I can wed Yunalesca," Zaon said. Her father shook his head.

"You will not wed her," he said firmly. "She is mine to give to whom I wish."

"She's not a prize to be won!" Zaon protested. The man merely lifted his eyebrows.

"Zaon... You are stepping down the wrong road. My blessing is for the one I know will be her destiny. You, simply, are not her destiny," her father countered.

"Yes I am!" Zaon shouted. "She loves me just as much as I love her, and yet you deny me your blessing when we are so obviously in love?"

"Yes, you petty fool," the father said. "Get out of my house now, Zaon. If I ever see you again with my daughter again, I will have you arrested."

Zaon fired a nasty glare before storming out of the room, opening the door with a sad smile. The scene faded for a moment – it must have been the passage of time – and then came back into focus. Zaon and Yunalesca were now out on a starry balcony that looked all too familiar... It was the room where they had denied faith in the Final Aeon!

"Yunalesca... Run away with me. Run away from Zanarkand... Then we can be together," Zaon said. Yunalesca looked down.

"But... But my father..." she protested. Zaon shook his head.

"Your father will never let us be," he said firmly. "He will never let us be together."

The two then firmly embraced and kissed again as Isaaru let out a frenzied laugh. Kimahri nudged him and he stopped almost immediately. "Sorry," he said before the sphere resumed.

Suddenly an alarm went off. "BEVELLE!" shouted a warrior. Zaon turned to the streets.

"I shall return, my love," he said. Yunalesca grabbed his arm just as her father burst onto the balcony.

"What is this? ZAON, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" he shouted amidst flaring rockets and shimmering lights. Her father neared upon them as Zaon stood in front of Yunalesca like a guardian...

"I have perfected the design of the ultimate weapon to destroy Bevelle entirely," he said, his voice changing drastically to that of a maniacal scientist. "With it, nothing will stand in the way of Bevelle's defeat. I cannot have my daughter marrying some commoner warrior when I will be the most famous hero in all Zanarkand!"

"Father?" Yunalesca asked, not recognizing the tone of his voice.

"I, Yu Yevon, greatest Summoner of all Zanarkand, will summon the most powerful Aeon of them all! I will summon Sin!" Yu Yevon, Yunalesca's father, shouted, and for the first time turned around and she could see his face clearly. Yuna, shocked, saw the imprint of the main sigil of Yevon on the front of his robes, glittering as the eye bored into her soul. The sphere fuzzed out and the scene ended.


	13. Yuna's Plan

Hurray! My teachers basically told me that my homework was nothing, except for algebra of course (the only times my math teacher doesn't give homework is: 1. Day before the test or 2. The Tennessee Vols win in football). Anyways, I hope this next addition is satisfactory, and hopefully exciting! Anyways, enjoy, and copyright information is located throughout chapters 1-10.

**- - - - - - - - - - -**

"Nooj!" Leblanc shouted as the ferocious titan arose from the water like a submerged submarine. It shook the rock wildly. Leblanc grabbed her husband's hand as the sound of gushing water and a roaring fiend burst all around them. She looked down, lost her footing, and screamed as she plunged into the water screaming.

"Leblanc!" Nooj shouted, pulling out his gun and looking at the creature that had just arisen from the water. It was obviously not something normal, but it didn't matter to him. Whatever it was, it was keeping him from his wife. Nooj ran to the rock, keeping careful footing. He looked down into the water. Leblanc was not surfaced...

"Leblanc!" he shouted again, and the creature finally ended its ascension from its watery grave and gave a long, malicious glare at the leader of the Youth League. Two tusk-like limbs arched from under its figure, appearing to be beautiful mermaids except that their tails covered in dark sea-green scales, connected back to the main figure. Their hair was turquoise and their eyes gleaming with red-hot enmity, and one had large, talon-like claws. The other seemed to have daintier fingers. The figure was hideous and beautiful all at once. Flesh surrounded its face of a beautiful woman, however this made it grotesque. Ridges of aquamarine and turquoise lined this flesh like a crust. Her hands were merely ribbons, and everything else besides the flesh and hair was covered in dark, sea-green scales.

"What the f..." he murmured but his jaw dropped before he could finish his curse. To his horror, the creature's limb with the bulky claws curled forward, slashed the large rock and let large chunks crumble into the foamy water below... onto Leblanc. "Leblanc!" Nooj shouted, jumping into the water before realizing a dangerous fact: he couldn't swim.

He struggled around for a moment, the two limbs cackling hideously. He swore he saw a glimmer of magenta-painted metal under the water, and so he took a breath and dove under. He saw Leblanc, a rock lodged into her leg as she struggled to free herself. He tried to swim to her, but his metal appendages tugged him back. He began to struggle in the water, and suddenly he noticed something was preventing his return to the surface.

Suddenly he closed his eyes and began to reflect on events. His first meeting with Leblanc... His first date with Leblanc... His profession of love for Leblanc... His proposal to Leblanc... His marriage to Leblanc... His sweet honeymoon night with Leblanc... It couldn't end like this. If he had been above, in the air, he would've shouted. But the water prevented any noise from escaping his lips except for gurgling bubbles.

Suddenly he felt his veins pump vigorously as his skin took a golden tone. Perplexed, he swam forward quicker than he ever had, trying with all his might to get to Leblanc. His eyes filled with desperate fire as he clutched the rock in his hands, threw it elsewhere, and picked up Leblanc as he shot to the surface like an arrow. To his amazement he skyrocketed from the water back onto the ledge. After this miraculous event, pain filled every pore and vein, and in deep shock he fainted. Leblanc was left sputtering as she regained consciousness.

"Nooj?" she asked aloud, seeing her husband. The pumping of his heart was faint, but still noticeable. Thank the Aeons...

She turned to the hideous creature, her dress clinging to her skin as she desperately attempted to dry herself with her fan. "You... You tried to kill my Noojie-Woojie! Ugh, and you are so ugly too!"

The creature, who had been snickering, stopped abruptly at the comment. The two limbs did as well, both staring wide-eyed at such a bold but foolish woman. The creature's eyes became white-hot slits as it growled the words, "I am the fairest thing beneath the sea, foolish mortal. I am Angra Laose, the One of Water."

"Fairest thing beneath the sea? Hah, there must not be much competition then," Leblanc said with a snort. The two limbs gaped at such a foolhardy mortal. "You dare challenge the mighty Leblanc in a battle of beauty?"

"No, foolish girl," Angra Laose growled. "Kaori! Kairi! Time to teach this beauty queen a lesson or two about those foolish enough to enter the Domain of Water!"

"Domain of what?" Leblanc asked as the enormous waterspout began to form ominously from the water. She resisted the urge to fly into it, holding on with all her might as the furious typhoon split her between the ugly fiends. "Noojie-Woojie..." she moaned into the roaring winds as she was swept up, malicious cackling ringing in her ears and breathing the words, "Warn Besaid."

**- - - - - - - - - - -**

"What are we going to do now?" Yuna asked aloud as Meow purred in her arms. Tidus had decided to become a Trainer once again.

"I say we find out where Paine or Rikku is, and help them," Tidus said. "They probably need it. I wouldn't see how excavating and exploring would be that bad, though."

"I don't know..." Yuna said and surprised everyone, including herself. "I feel like something bad is happening, especially to Rikku."

"Something... bad?" Tidus asked. Yuna nodded.

"I've been feeling it for a while now. It feels like... Both of them are in grave danger," she said. "But I don't know how."

"I say we get to the Celsius, fast!" Tidus shouted. He turned to Kimahri and Isaaru. "You guys come too, okay?"  
  


"Okay," Isaaru murmured. Kimahri merely nodded. Yuna nodded boldly.

"Let's go," she said.

**- - - - - - - - - - -**

"SHINRA! GET IN HERE IMMEDIATELY!" Brother shouted into the speaker. "ONTO THE BRIDGE, NOW!"

"Always when I'm busy," Shinra said as he ran off from the engine room. He had been fixing the machines, eager to prove Ormi and Logos wrong. He entered the elevator and walked onto the bridge, and was surprised at what he saw.

Brother was running around, frantic as a maniac. Buddy was shaking his head glumly as he steered the Celsius. Brother stared into Shinra's eyes as he entered the bridge.

"What's wrong, Brother?" he said. Brother's eyes were frenzied.

"We've lost them all!" he cried. "Yuna's went first! Then Rikku, then Paine! All of our connections to them have all been destroyed!"

"What do you want me to do, fix it?" Shinra asked. Brother looked at him pleadingly. "All right, but I can't promise anything. After all, I'm just a kid. Anyways, if I can properly set up the prototype version two I've been programming it's highly probable that we might achieve visual and audio data about where they are. My prototype can sense life energy and manipulate it to find out the exact location of the container of the life energy. Basically, it's a tracker without any gadgets or gizmos other than the ones I control." Brother nodded, not understanding a word he said.

Shinra began to tap buttons wildly. "Come on..." he murmured. "I didn't give up quitting the Gullwings just to see my programs fail!"

Suddenly the doors burst open. "YUNA!" Brother shouted, leaping at Yuna and hugging her tightly. "Oh you worried me too much!"

"Sorry Brother," she said with a slight laugh. "How are Rikku and Paine?"

  
Tidus, Isaaru, and Kimahri followed close behind. "I see you brought some friends along, eh? Well they will have to work for me, then!"

"Brother, shut up," Buddy said.

"How are Rikku and Paine?" Yuna asked, firmer and more demanding. Shinra snickered slightly.

"Well, uh..." Brother said, scratching the back of his head. "We lost connections a long time ago with them."

"What?" Yuna asked, eyes widening. "You lost connections with them?"

"Yes," Brother said, ashamed. "I should've got Shinra to fix it earlier, but..."  
  


"I'm just a kid, remember?" Shinra said, throwing a screw at Brother's head. He yelped.

"What should we do?" Tidus asked.

"I say we wait here," Isaaru said. "until we can figure out where they are."

"Kimahri agrees," said Kimahri. "Rikku and Paine will know what to do."

Yuna nodded. "Shinra, please hurry..." she murmured under her breath. "I know something bad has happened."

**- - - - - - - - - - -**

"Haboob wishes to fight me... again?" Mainyu Altana murmured. Tihpi only gazed deeply into the vile entity's mind, remembering every tweak of anger that had been caused. Marnela, the Great Haboob, his parents, his siblings, and those who died for him...

Tihpi made a battle cry that echoed with three voices. One was of Tihpi. The second was wiser, more feminine: obviously Marnela. And the third was deep and bold: the Great Haboob. He still made incomprehensible noises, but Mainyu Altana heard and understood him clearly.

"Taste the wrath of Perdition's Flame, Haboob!" Mainyu Altana boomed, unleashing a sphere of fire that engulfed the Golden Cactuar in fire. Suddenly it faded all at once. Tihpi had taken no affect from the powerful blow.

"So you resist the force of darkness? You shall succumb soon enough, foolish Cactuar!" he belted out, unleashed Ultima upon the golden guardian. To his surprise, the Ultima spell bounced off the glistening Cactuar and incinerated Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana. Tihpi merely glared into the evil being's mind, boring holes into his very soul: if he had one, of course.

A powerful wind began to blow into the Bikanel Abyss: something that had never happened before. Not only was this, but the center of the winds was Tihpi. They swirled and supported him, raising him into the air. Tihpi closed his eyes for a split second before unleashing an enormous lance of pure energy into the very core of Mainyu Altana. The magic entwined with his life-granting powers oozed from the wound, and Tihpi smiled. Mainyu Altana snarled.

"Haboob!" he shouted. "I challenge you, not your insignificant proxy!"

Mainyu Altana raised his flimsy arms as the clouds began to swirl. Pyreflies began to swirl down, their familiar moaning aura filling the area with sorrow, pain, joy, and anger all at once. Suddenly, the golden aura surrounding Tihpi began to flick away. The pyreflies were draining the power away from him and fueling it for their dream-casting abilities.

Mainyu Altana boomed, his loud laughter just as pleasant as nails on a chalkboard. It was enough to make Tihpi mad again, but his aura was fading drastically. He began to float back down to the sandy earth. Then he noticed something else. The life magic of Mainyu Altana was infusing with the pyreflies...

"KEYAKKU!" Rikku shouted as she bolted upright. She looked around drowsily yet frantically, searching for him. "KEYAKKU!"

"Rikku, stop, no..." Gippal moaned as he regained life. Pyreflies were flooding into the dead bodies, filled with life.

"Mother, but the fayths..." Logos murmured and bolted upright, eyes wide. "Did I just say that?" he said, standing up and brandishing his pistols.

Gippal got up, picked up his gun, and aimed it at Mainyu Altana. Rikku got up with her gun as well, but did not aim it. Instead, she brushed off some sand on her clothes and stared victoriously into his face, very well knowing that she hadn't won, well at least not yet. Tihpi was slowly resuming his normal state.

"What happened?" Rikku asked to herself. Mainyu Altana was shocked, but then relieved. Haboob was gone, and Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana were returning.

Some pyreflies became tainted with darkness and were sucked into the lifeless limbs as they regained life. Rikku looked in awe at the pyreflies becoming black... That had never happened before.

"You are testing my patience," Mainyu Altana boomed mercilessly. "It is now time to end all of your lives."

To Rikku's horror, she watched as Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana's rather graceful arches from Mainyu Altana began to evanesce. Hideous tentacles now twisted where the connection had once been, and Rikku realized that Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana were both freed from Mainyu Altana.

"Come now, my undead allies, and smite these infidels!" Mainyu Altana shouted. "Haboob, I now challenge you alone!"

Tawrich Altana gripped the hand of Zarich Altana and together they shot at a surprised Logos, Gippal, and Rikku. Mainyu Altana and Tihpi were dueling each other silently. Rikku's heart filled with fear. She was going to have to fight these fiends!

**- - - - - - - - - - -**

Angra Shaoku cackled hideously as another sharp blade of ice flew from Lilith and destroyed a column. A drowsy Ormi ran with a frightened Baralai and Paine, who carried an unconscious Maroda in her arms. They were on the run. Angra Shaoku had proven her worth in the battlefield more than she needed to. She had frozen the main core of the systems and the entire place had lost power, and now they were running across sleeted floors and icy walls. It was truly the Domain of Ice now.

"Peek-a-boo, I see you!" Angra Shaoku cackled as a flurry of razor-sharp icicles flew back Paine, nearly hitting her in the neck. They leapt off a ledge onto the ground, knowing it wouldn't stop Angra Shaoku. The angry ice-fiend was bent on eliminating them.

"I can't run for that much longer!" Paine shouted to Baralai amidst a roaring blizzard that was quickly catching up. Everything that Angra Shaoku passed became glistening ice: her toys. She had all ready lifted several columns with sheer telekinesis and launched them, nearly killing Paine and Baralai twice.

"We are going to have to stop!" Baralai shouted. Ormi was heaving and panting, barely keeping up. "Hurry!"

Paine was lost amidst her thoughts. She suddenly felt tranquil as icy electric wires snapped and frizzled before her, nearly showering her in white-hot sparks. She felt as if the end was coming soon... She looked at Ormi, heaving and panting. She looked at Baralai, terror on his face. She looked down at Maroda, helpless in her arms. Before she could stop herself, she thrust Maroda into Baralai's arms.

"Take him! Get out!" she shouted.

"No! Paine, I'm not leaving you alone!" Baralai shouted. Paine's eyes became slits.

"Baralai... I love you," she whispered amongst roaring winds. "GO!" she shouted. "BARALAI, GO NOW!"

Paine's eyes suddenly became sad. Baralai knew that this was what she wanted. He sensed a deep sense of love in her eyes. "Goodbye, Paine," he said, then kissed her upon the lips. He parted and sped off, Ormi heaving behind him. Paine turned around, bravely facing the storm.

**- - - - - - - - - - -**

"Receiving audio transmissions... Visual transmissions, check," Shinra announced. Suddenly a fuzzy image appeared, and Yuna's heart filled with fear.

"Oh sweet Ifrit..." she moaned, seeing Angra Mainyu in the transmission. "Not him!"

She saw the faint outline of Rikku, Gippal, and Logos in the background, fighting whirling limbs. But what scared her was a tiny Cactuar facing an enormous fiend, Angra Mainyu. But he was darker... Much darker.

"He's... dead," Shinra said blankly. His eyes widened.

"Rikku! Be safe!" she shouted, clearly knowing that Rikku was not in good shape for fighting him again with just Logos and Gippal. The transmission fuzzed out.

"Go to Paine," Yuna said, tears filling her eyes. What hope was left now?

"Malfunction," Shinra said. "I can only get another trace of human energy in the area. It seems to be Baralai."

Baralai appeared on the screen. A tan figure was in his arms: it wasn't Paine. Ormi ran beside him, panting. He obviously wasn't Paine. Where was Paine?  
  


"Paine..." Baralai murmured. Yuna almost died. Was she dead?  
  


"Paine?" Yuna asked aloud. Tidus placed a hand on her shoulder. "Paine!"

The transmission ended again. This was getting hard to bear now.

"I also picked up ones on Besaid. It is certainly lively there," he commented, almost crying himself. These were much more urgent than he expected them to be.

Leblanc was lying in a bed, scrapes upon her face. Nooj lay in a bed right next to her, looking at least twenty years older. Wakka and Lulu were furiously tending to them, bandaging their wounds while simultaneously caring for Vidina. "That storm was ferocious, ya?" Wakka asked, not at all in his happy tone.

"Wakka..." Lulu said, and the transmission ended. Yuna was left alone.

"What are we going to do?" Isaaru asked, perplexed. He was terrified of the images he had seen in the transmissions. Everyone was.

"We have to help them!" Yuna shouted, falling to her knees. "They're my friends! They risked everything for me, and I will risk anything for them!"

"What are we going to do, Yuna?" Brother asked. "Your wish is my command!"

"We need someone who can help us. The Youth League, the Leblanc Syndicate, New Yevon, and the Machine Faction are all out of the picture because all of their leaders are in need. It's time for Spira to make a stand!" she said. Tidus nodded.

"Yeah!" he shouted. Kimahri nodded.

"The Ronso will help Yuna. She has helped them many times," Kimahri said. "They would die for Yuna."

"Bevelle's Warrior Monks are sure to want to aid Praetor Baralai," Isaaru pointed out. "I'm sure the rest of the Youth League will be much the same. I don't know about the Machine Faction, though."

"They'll help Gippal, trust me," Buddy said. "Always have, always will."

"The Goons from the Syndicate are definitely going to want to join the fun, then," Shinra said. "Leblanc is their leader, anyways."

"What would we call this 'group'?" Isaaru asked. "The Leblanc/Machine/Youth/New Yevon Faction/Syndicate/League?"

"No... We would call it... The Spira League," Yuna said. Everyone agreed.

"We need to figure out a leader of this all, though," Tidus said. "Who do you think would be good for the job, Yuna?"

"We need someone who is as tough as nails, but as understanding as if he truly were a leader. We need someone who won't take no for an answer. We need someone like... Uncle Cid!"


	14. Chaos

Hello all! Welcome back to Amour et Haine, the story I temporarily ended so long ago... But now have resurrected! I am so extremely sorry for the huge delay, I should have been more diligent in getting this rusty piece of dog poop back and running, but I wasn't. For that, I ask your most humble apologies. This chapter will have a lot of characters in the game that have not yet been seen... Anyways, I hope you enjoy this addition to the story! **_EXTREMELY IMPORTANT UPDATE:_** I DO NOT OWN SQUARE ENIX, FINAL FANTASY, FINAL FANTASY X, OR FINAL FANTASY X-2! I know everyone didn't know that, but I must say it anyways.

**#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#**

"Lord Rin!" asked the Agency Attendant frantically, pressing all the buttons on the message-phone in complete pandemonium. It was no use; the sphere waves couldn't reach him! The attendant turned around, eyes filled with fright, tears streaming down her panicked face. The thunder and lightning was increasing rapidly, and the lightning towers were actually melting in the heat! Nearly twenty panicked travelers had crowded in the Agency, eager for the storms to stop. However, several had told her disturbing news of a massive creature wandering around the entrance to the Macalania Woods. It was absorbing lighting and creating more of it to pour down.

"What are we going to do? It is so hot out there, and so hot in here!" yelled a traveler in a thick white robe. "All I wanted was to go to the Calm Lands and play a few games!"

"I just wanted to visit my future husband in the Calm Lands!" shouted a sobbing woman. "But I never would've left home if I had known this storm was going to come!"

"We're all going to die!" shouted a hysterical young boy. "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"

"We won't die... WE WON'T DIE!" shouted another traveler. Then hell broke loose. People began to scream, mingled sobs and yells between them. The heat inside the crowded agency was almost unbearable. People were going mad...

"SHUT UP!" shouted the attendant. Everyone looked at her, eyes wide. "Look people, I don't know what is going on, but we aren't going anywhere panicking about it. We need to be quiet and wait for Lord Rin to contact us. I sent him an urgent SOS, he'll call us any moment."

The crowd was silent, all staring at the attendant. No one spoke, and no one whispered. No one did anything but stare, wide-eyed, at the attendant. She stood there, embarrassed and shaky.

"Any moment," she told herself. "Any moment."

**#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#**

Yuna sat in the Cabin at a barstool, worrying herself crazy. "This can't be happening!" she sighed, brow furrowed in despair. Paine had been silent, but she was her friend... Rikku had been a little kooky, but she was her friend... She would've killed to save them, and them the same to her. But, even being a High Summoner and two-time savior of the world, was powerless. She couldn't do anything but wait... for now.

Tidus sat down beside her. "Yuna, it'll be okay..." he said, but it came out weak. Yuna didn't budge. "Yuna..."

Suddenly she gasped and turned around, sobbing, and embraced Tidus tightly. "They're my best friends! If anything happened to them..."

"Nothing will," Tidus reassured her. "If I know Rikku, she'd annoy Angra... Whatever-it's-called to death before she went down. And from what I've seen of Paine, she'd definitely, well..."

"Kick its ass?" Yuna said with a slight smirk. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But... What if..."

"There isn't a what if," Tidus said. "Yuna... I love you."

Yuna smiled and hugged him tightly, and the two kissed. Barkeep took his cue, smiled a bit, stopped polishing the all ready sparkling shot glass, and left the bar, leaving the two lovers in their own little world. He smiled a bit as he left.

**#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#**

"Today in Luca, we are witnessing a truly amazing meteorological event!" Shelinda said with a smile, though her heart was beating wildly. Why in Yevon's name were thunderclouds swirling around the skies of Luca? Weren't thunderclouds supposed to stay at the Thunder Plains?

"So, what do you have to add onto our report of the thunderstorms approaching Luca?" Shelinda asked a passerby.

"Well, I think it is really cool! I've never seen a real thunderstorm this up close before. You can actually feel the storm in the air! It is breathtakingly thrilling, in my opinion," the passerby said casually, twisting a lock of her auburn hair. "It'll be cool to watch the rainfall and play Sphere Break!"

"Oh, sounds like fun!" Shelinda piped in with a laugh. The passerby smiled a bit, then walked away. Shelinda turned back to the sphere-cam.

"So, what will you do with your rainstorm, Luca? Enjoy a truly soaking game of Blitzball? Or watch the rainfall as you clobber your friends in Sphere Break? Well, that's it for this broadcasting! See you next time! I'm Shelinda, signing off!" Shelinda shouted, all though she doubted anyone heard her. The rain was now pouring down.

"Shelinda, I'm going to go back to the recording studio and touch up on the sphere. Great work," said her sphere-recorder, Shin.

"Bye Shin!" Shelinda called out as she ran up the stairs to the balcony overlooking the sea, just near the entrance to the soothing Mi'hen Highroad, which was also under thunderstorm watch. The view should be breathtaking! She had told herself that when she first heard of the thunderstorm. It had puzzled her, but delighted her.

As she walked up the steps, the rain notably got stronger and stronger. She brushed beads of rain out of her face and trudged onwards. Sighing, she trudged up the steps, nearly tripping a few times. Rain rushed like a river down the steps. It was... almost scary, in a way.

"Shelinda! Urgent report!" called out the recorded voice on her SphereWatch, which alerted her of the assignments she had listed and oncoming assignments. Pulling out the SphereWatch, she brushed water off the screen and looked at the meeting point.

"Oh... crap," she murmured, running back down the stairs, nearly slipping five times before ending up in the center of the square, drenched, cold, and shivering. The rain wasn't stopping, and the clouds were getting darker and darker. Everyone had cleared out of the square. She bolted into the café before the rain got more intense.

Shin sat at one of the tables, staring out at the rain, eyes wide. People clustered inside the café, chattering nervously amongst themselves. In the sphere screen was a detailed report on the storm by Petra, Luca's _other_ sphere reporter. Everyone loved Petra. Petra this, Petra that...

"Shelinda, they say that the waves at the beach are enormous!" Shin said, standing up excitedly. "Petra might've gotten full-frontal storm coverage, but she didn't get full-frontal _beach_ coverage, now did she?"

"No, I guess not," Shelinda said, squeezing the water out of her robes. "But I'm kind of tired. And wet. And cold."

"Come on, Shelinda! This kind of stuff doesn't come by too often! People will be dying to hear all about the stories Shelinda has to tell if we can show them the colossal waves on the beach!"

"Oh, whatever," Shelinda said, looking down glumly. The sooner this was over, the better.

"Good choice, Shelinda! Come on, the beach is this way!" Shin shouted, getting up and leading Shelinda out of the café, hand firmly gripping hers. He grabbed his sphere-cam and she grabbed her microphone. It was show time.

"So how big are the waves, really?" Shelinda asked, shouting to get above the roaring rain. "They can't be bigger than twenty feet!"

"I heard they've reached up to forty feet, Shelinda!" Shin shouted. "They are huge! No one is allowed to surf, though. The security hired by Rin isn't letting them."

"Wow! Forty feet?" Shelinda asked out loud, shocked. "That's the biggest wave I've ever heard of!"

"Yeah, and that's the smallest wave they saw!" Shin shouted back. "Fifty, sixty... Shelinda, people are going to be amazed! This could really help your reputation around here!"

The beach was into view, and they were at the perfect view, the cliff overlooking it. Shelinda ran out to the very edge, hating the sucking sound of her feet coming out of the squishy mud. Her mouth fell open at the sight of the sea. "Oh sweet Aeons..."

Sixty-foot waves were an understatement. Some of the farthest waves were reaching enormous heights. The beach itself was nearly gone, as the tides were enormous. Very few people were around, and the ones that were around were running frantically, like ants fleeing a giant magnifying glass. Shelinda was awed.

"On in 3... 2... 1... Go!" Shin shouted to Shelinda. Shelinda turned around, eyes sparkling with a smile on her well-rounded face.

"Hello Luca! This is Shelinda, reporting in on the cliff overlooking the beach! Why are we here, we ask? Well, just look at all of this!" Shelinda reported, turning around and pointing to the enormous waves. Shin smiled from behind the sphere-cam.

"As you can see, the waves from this storm are massive! The beaches are flooded with seawater of the colossal tides that keep rushing in! Take a look!" she said, as Shin bent over and shot a glimpse of the massive tides.

"That's just one momentous thing happening here in Luca, folks! This is the first time for nearly a thousand years that rains have gotten this far from the Thunder Plains. Everyone should come out and see the rain! It is truly fabulous!" she shouted. Shin gave her a thumbs-up. Shelinda smiled.

**#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#**

"It is time..." growled Mainyu Altana, eyes gleaming. He blasted Tihpi backwards and glided away from the Savior of the Cactuars as Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana slowly returned to his gaping limbs, their tentacles infusing with his raw, opened flesh. He laughed evilly, his hideous cackling echoing through the hot air, sickening Rikku.

Tihpi looked on, eyes wide at the sight of Mainyu Altana reforming, before flipping back to Rikku, Gippal, and Logos, all tired from attacking Mainyu Altana's undead limbs. He squeaked frantically, attempting to convey a message that no one could understand.

"What is it, Tihpi?" said Rikku urgently, trying to catch her breath. "They're getting away!"

"No they aren't," Gippal commented. "He's preparing something. That look in that thing's eyes... If that isn't evil, I don't know what the hell is."

Logos looked on, reloading his pistols. "This is not good, not good at all!" he murmured. "We need to catch that thing!"

"We can't catch up to it, even if we tried, Slim Jim," Gippal said, panting. "He's preparing something. All we can do is watch."

Rikku was in a huff. Glaring out at Mainyu Altana, she nearly spat. That was before she realized she was in front of Gippal. He could do the spitting for her. Suddenly she looked up, eyes wide and mouth agape.

The water above the sand was now bubbling rapidly, and Rikku couldn't keep from yelling out in pain. Gippal clenched his teeth, and Logos looked down. Tihpi shook violently, then walked up to Rikku and blew on her feet. Suddenly the heat was gone. Rikku sighed in relief as Tihpi blew on Logos and Gippal's feet as well.

"Heh, cactuars. You think you know everything about them, but then they do the strangest thing you'd never expect," Gippal said with a chuckle. But he quickly turned around to face Mainyu Altana once again.

The sand that wasn't dry began to whip up from the ground and spin around Mainyu Altana as the entire creature was enveloped in a burning red light. Its mouth opened up as if to say something, however, fire leapt and curled from his lips as every pore of his body oozed fire. Flame enveloped Mainyu Altana as if the entire thing was a living torch.

_"There were five that were created from the depths of the darkest soul,_

_There were five that were created to achieve the darkest goal._

_One was borne amongst the tides in the city of the dead,_

_One was borne amidst the burning sands where all the exiled fled._

_One was borne in the darkest fathoms of the city of the light,_

_One was borne amongst the barren glen of electrical might._

_The final, fifth, and foremost, was borne within the darkest tomb,_

_Waiting, watching, cursing, taunting, counting Spira's doom."_

Mainyu Altana spoke the poem, his voice echoed by three others, one voice cold and icy, one voice smooth and watery, and yet another voice sharp and raspy. Rikku was terrified, as was Logos. Gippal just stood with his mouth open, shocked. Tihpi was bouncing up and down frantically.

The pillar of sand and fire enveloping Mainyu Altana shot into the sky like a cyclone, as a myriad of pyreflies followed it. The creature's foul laughter then rang out again as the light faded and the fire died. The hubbub was gone.

"I am flesh once again!" cried Angra Mainyu as he charged at the unsuspecting four, ready to kill.

**#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#**

_"There were five that were created from the depths of the darkest soul,_

_There were five that were created to achieve the darkest goal._

_One was borne amongst the tides in the city of the dead,_

_One was borne amidst the burning sands where all the exiled fled._

_One was borne in the darkest fathoms of the city of the light,_

_One was borne amongst the barren glen of electrical might._

_The final, fifth, and foremost, was borne within the darkest tomb,_

_Waiting, watching, cursing, taunting, counting Spira's doom."_

Angra Tuiyi belted out the poem as lightning poured into him, feeding him and his newly awoken limbs. Spikes of silver metal crusted his flesh, sizzling with electricity. His two now living limbs, Khaos and Kain, outstretched their hands, glittering with the energy of the storm. They were just like his master wanted, machina. He was mechanical, a mechanical masterpiece higher above any machina to be ever created for a thousand years. He was metal infused with evil, a truly wicked combination of steel and malice. His mechanical limbs weren't just any old set of limbs.

Khaos was invulnerable to magic, a glistening skeleton rimmed with metal. One of his arms was a massive claw with thorny, twisting fingers, excellent for tearing apart anything—whether it be metal or flesh—that got in its way. The second arm was a small cannon capable of manipulating electrical energy and transferring it into mechanical energy to be used in blasting foes into oblivion. Kain was invulnerable to physical attacks, with two unique arms as well. His first arm was a dainty claw, excellent for selecting his spells from a specialized database. His second arm was a massive whip with a claw on the end with specialized toxins to sap an enemy's will to use magic. He was the perfect one. He was the One of Thunder.

Metal and lightning crackled together as his body was enveloped in a golden light. Electricity crackled off his metal limbs violently, lighting him up like some advertisement gone crazy. The mixture of electricity and metal flew upwards in a truly lethal maelstrom, ripping a whole in the clouds to the dark heart behind them. Slowly the furious storm surrounding the creature's body died, however this only fueled the storm all the more.

**#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#**

_"There were five that were created from the depths of the darkest soul,_

_There were five that were created to achieve the darkest goal._

_One was borne amongst the tides in the city of the dead,_

_One was borne amidst the burning sands where all the exiled fled._

_One was borne in the darkest fathoms of the city of the light,_

_One was borne amongst the barren glen of electrical might._

_The final, fifth, and foremost, was borne within the darkest tomb,_

_Waiting, watching, cursing, taunting, counting Spira's doom."_

Angra Laose screamed the words as that of Angra Mainyu, Angra Tuiyi, and Angra Shaoku backed her voice. Storms crackled upon the horizon as Kaori and Kairi laughed and cackled in a beautifully evil way. A cyclone of water swept around her as a whirlpool formed beneath her. Her whole body shone like a solid cerulean gem, standing in the water. The water spiraled into the abyss of the storming sky as lightning and thunder shot down. The clouds opened to let in the mixture of seawater, seaweed, and fish flesh into a pulsating heart of black energy behind the storm. Angra Laose laughed, her cackling echoing in the hearts and minds of everyone watching the horrific spectacle in Besaid.

"We have got to stop that thing!" shouted Wakka to Lulu, running out of the village as rain poured down. Lulu chased after him.

"Wakka! No!" she shouted, falling to her knees. "Wakka!"

Wakka turned back to his wife. "Lu! We have to kill it before it reaches the village and kills us all!"

"Warn Besaid!" Leblanc shouted, running out of the hut. "That's what that hideous... thing said to me!"

Nooj limped out of the hut. "Wakka! There is a time for everything, even destroying a threat to a hundred lives! Come back! You can't defeat it alone!"

Wakka turned back, nodding. "I... I guess you're right," he said slowly. "I'm sorry Lu. I shouldn't have..."

Lulu didn't say anything. She just stormed back into the hut, nearly pushing Leblanc into a mud puddle. Leblanc, unable to say anything, didn't do anything at all. Nooj helped her to her feet as Wakka ran into the hut after Lulu. Leblanc was about to go back in when Nooj prevented her from doing so.

"We shouldn't get involved," he told her. Leblanc nodded.

"I guess we shouldn't."

**#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#**

_"There were five that were created from the depths of the darkest soul,_

_There were five that were created to achieve the darkest goal._

_One was borne amongst the tides in the city of the dead,_

_One was borne amidst the burning sands where all the exiled fled._

_One was borne in the darkest fathoms of the city of the light,_

_One was borne amongst the barren glen of electrical might._

_The final, fifth, and foremost, was borne within the darkest tomb,_

_Waiting, watching, cursing, taunting, counting Spira's doom."_

Angra Shaoku screamed the words as the ice and frozen metal whirled around her and she was enveloped in icy white light. The wind swept around her, carrying the stupid girl with her. What a foolish girl. She had tried to be brave, but had ended up being foolish. She was probably dead by now, killed by the cold and the force of the wind. Well, she had now lost sight of the foolish girl. She must've been dead.

Paine screamed out, horrified with the pain. She screamed so loudly pyreflies flooded out of her mouth, as if she were vomiting, except she wasn't sick. Her soul was being siphoned from her, as if some giant was sucking it out through a straw. Her memories slowly ebbed out of her mind, her body became numb, and her sight became dark... She felt icy cold metal and chunks of ice tearing at her face, then darkness.

A vortex to the heart of darkness ripped open above Angra Shaoku as her energy poured in into it. If she was the final one to break the seal, then there was nothing holding back the One of Darkness from coming into the flesh. Her purpose was fulfilled. Now was the _real_ fun part. She had long since waited for the day she could wreak terror into the hearts of the citizens of Bevelle.

**#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#**

"I'm Shelinda, signing off!" Shelinda shouted as the rain poured down. She doubted anyone was still watching. The lightning was blazing down as consistently as the rain. She sighed.

"That was great Shelinda!" Shin shouted. Shelinda could barely hear him. "I'm sure that everyone was watching."

"I'm sure no one was watching!" Shelinda screamed back. "The storm is terrifying! Let's get out of here!"

"Sure," Shin said, just as the roar of the storm died down for just a moment. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. Shelinda's brow furrowed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, then turned around to face the ocean. Her eyes widened, her mouth fell open, and her heart filled with a terror she had never felt before. Before she could make a run for it, the enormous tsunami raising up from behind her swept her, Shin, and everything in Luca into a watery hellhole.

**#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#**

"Yuna!" shouted Calli, running into the Cabin from the Bridge. "They've located Cid!"

"Where is he?" Yuna shouted, getting up and jumping into her boots. Tidus bolted upright, standing beside her. The storm was raging all around the Celsius. Spira was no longer the peaceful place he remembered so fondly. It was becoming a real nightmare.

"He's in Macalania! Apparently, he's trying to help O'aka with his business," Calli said, rolling her eyes. "The business has, and always will be, poor. Why can't he just accept that?"

Yuna didn't reply. She hopped off the second floor of the Cabin and ran into the elevator, followed by Calli and Tidus. "We have to find him, before it is too late..."

"I agree," Tidus said as the elevator reached the Bridge. Shinra was running around frantically.

"This is not good, not good at all!" he shouted. "This isn't an uncommon meteorological nightmare, it is an IMPOSSIBLE meteorological nightmare! Half the places where it is pouring down raining are not likely at all to be rained at! In particular, BIKANEL IS IN A THUNDERSTORM!"

"Shinra, calm down!" Brother yelled, waving his arms around like a bird. "We must stay calm. We are sphere hunters!"

"Shut up!" Buddy shouted at him. Isaaru was shaking his head. Kimahri just looked around with his stoical grimace plastered on his face.

"Cid is in the Engine Room," Brother said. "Hurray, let's all go visit him." His voice was layered with sarcasm.

Yuna shot like an arrow down the hallway, into the elevator, and down into the Engine Room. Tidus, Shinra, Calli, Isaaru, Kimahri, and Buddy followed quickly after. Yuna leapt off the balcony and jumped down, running right into her good ole' Uncle Cid. She smiled.

"So, what in tarnation do ye' need me for?" he asked, surprised by her close contact. "I heard it is some huge gathering of people who want to save Spira. So how do I fit the job description?"

"You're as tough as nails? You take nothing from nobody? You don't let anything stand in your way? Sounds like you'd fit very well," Yuna said with a laugh. Cid grinned a bit.

"How in hell are you here?" he shouted at Tidus. Tidus just smiled. Cid smirked again.

Shinra walked up to Cid, holding a sphere. "Everything you'll need to know is in there. Don't expect it to be anything of quality, though, I whipped it up in just a couple minutes."

Cid took the sphere and began watching it as the party moved back up the stairs into the elevator and back up to the Bridge. Brother sat in his seat, piloting the Celsius through the thunderstorm. Cid, surprisingly, didn't say anything.

"Where are we going to get all the leagues and syndicates in Spira to amass?" Yuna asked. "Wherever it is, it has to be closed, because there is so much rain. What place is big, and closed, and easy to access?"

"The Blitzball Stadium!" Shinra shouted. "They have a retractable roof, too!"

"Bevelle would work, too," Yuna pointed out, but everyone was all ready agreeing on Luca. Yuna felt something deep in her gut that was telling her **_NOT_** to go to Luca.

"Whatever."

**#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#**

"RIN! RIN!" the attendant shouted into the message-phone. "RIN!"

The power had long since gone out in the Agency, and several of the panicked refugees had fainted from both the shock and the heat. No one spoke. Everyone sat, wide-eyed, hearts filled with terror.

There was some static, but nothing more. "RIN!"

Suddenly a voice broke the silence. The attendant sighed in relief. "Yes, what is it?"

"RIN! There is a monstrous fiend, it is attacking... RIN?!" the attendant shouted.

"I can hear what you say, but it says the message-phone is offline!" Rin shouted back. "I won't be able to locate you!"

"We're in the Thunder..." the attendant shouted, just as half of the roof was ripped off the Agency. The message phone went dead as the winds and rains and lightning roared through like a flood being unleashed. The attendant screamed as a bolt of lightning fell from the sky and landed directly in her heart, instantly killing her. It blinded and shocked everyone in the room as another bolt fell, killing four of the shocked travelers. Sooner than expected everyone in the Agency was dead.


End file.
